The Ocean Shores Planning Commission completed its review of the city’s role in overseeing future marijuana businesses within city limits only a day after the City Council imposed a continuing six-month moratorium on such businesses, clinics or co-ops.

By a 5-1 vote on Aug. 23, the Planning Commission voted for a motion to instruct the City Council to follow the existing state law regarding retail sales businesses, but to prohibit any commercial processing or production operations.

Planning Commission member Jeff Daniel made the motion and Susan Conniry was the lone no vote.

Daniel noted it was essentially the same position the commission had voiced two weeks earlier after reviewing the issue under direction from the mayor and City Council.

“The City Council threw it back to us again,” Daniel said of why the Planning Commission was continuing to review the issue.

The state Liquor Control Board, which governs marijuana rules in the state, has allowed local jurisdictions more flexibility in determining the buffers and zoning issues that go into determining where future marijuana businesses are located.

On Aug. 22 at the regular City Council meeting, a new six-month moratorium was enacted, and one of the reasons cited for the moratorium was the contention that the Planning Commission had not completed its review of the new rule changes and the impact such businesses would have.

The marijuana measure, Ordinance No. 970, imposes a new six-month moratorium prohibiting the production or processing of marijuana, as well as any new recreational or medicinal cannabis stores, clinics or marijuana collective gardens or co-ops not licensed by the state Liquor Control Board prior to 2016.

“I’m not going to vote for this motion because when I read the agenda on the council, there was another piece we didn’t discuss — and that’s dealing with co-ops,” Conniry said of the Planning Commission’s decision to send it immediately back to the City Council. “That needs to be part of our discussion.”

Under the changes in the law, groups of four medicinal marijuana users may form a co-op to grow their own supply.

“This is a complex issue,” Conniry said, noting her position voiced to the council was that “we should be looking at any source of revenue we can be getting for the city of Ocean Shores, and that can be production and processing.”

The question, she said, is whether “there is any place in Ocean Shores to put it.”

Daniel said there are two different areas in Ocean Shores that would allow such a commercial use: down by the marina and in the downtown area. “But I am still going to stand behind my motion,” he said.

“I think it’s a reasonable recommendation,” added Planning Commission member Eric Noble.

Another member, Greg Cox, said he didn’t believe “it was right for this body to work on” such specific legislation.

Cox said it sounded as if the City Council was saying “we don’t know what to do with it, so let’s ask the Planning Commission to spend six months kicking it around.”

“To me, there are two different questions here,” added Eleanor Dorman. “One is do we want to allow a second business? My feeling is yes. I just think manufacturing is another whole ballgame that you can’t decide in one meeting.”

But Daniel said he believed that the commission could say no to commercial operations.

“I don’t think there should be any commercial production or processing of marijuana in the city of Ocean Shores,” said Daniel, a real estate salesman. “I don’t think there is any room in the city, and I know what’s available in this town. There are residents in all the commercial zones. It’s not worth it. I don’t think we want it.”

He argued that co-ops already are governed by the state and that is different than commercial production.