The Northfield City Council has come to an agreement on the licensing price retailers must pay in order to 
sell consumable cannabinoid products within the city limits.
Approved by a 4-3 vote, the city will offer the license at $1500, with an additional $500 to cover the costs of a background check for all first-time applicants who do not already hold a tobacco license from the city.
The license fee is in place to cover the costs of enforcement and compliance. Police Chief Mark Elliott had initially recommended a fee of $3000, which is the same price as an on-sale liquor license in the city, due to the unknown nature of enforcing the new law. The Northfield Police Department will have to establish a compliance-check program, and there could be testing costs as well to verify the amount of Delta-9 THC in the products.
After approving legal sale of consumable cannabinoids, the council could not come to an agreement on the licensing fee at their last meeting. Councilor Sean Allen, who voted against the $1500 fee on Tuesday night, expressed concern that the city would be impeding the ability of small businesses to sell what could be a high margin product. On the other side of the issue, Councilor Jami Reister, who has repeatedly expressed concern that the products will get into the hands of small children, said it is not appropriate to put the cost of regulating an intoxicating product on the taxpayers.
The resolution also set a schedule of penalties for violating the laws of sale. A first offense will result in a $250 fine and could reach as high as $2500 and revocation of the license for a year after a fourth offense.
Community School Expansion is tailored for specific areas
The Northfield School District has expanded its highly successful Community School program from Greenvale 
Park Elementary to Bridgewater and Spring Creek Elementary Schools.
Established in 2014 the Community School program offers several after-school programs for students as well as nighttime classes and activities for students and their families in an effort to help close the achievement gap.
Among the activities and resources offered to the adult members of the families are Zumba, Yoga, diabetes education, all through the HealthFinders Collaborative, as well as adult English classes, and evening art classes for both adults and students. There are gym activities, as well as programming offered by the Prairie’s Edge Nature Center. The program also offers transportation home for the students who participate in the after-school activities, as well as routed transportation throughout the evening for family participation.
While the program at Greenvale Park has been very popular, Northfield School District Director of Community Education Erin Bailey said the programming at Bridgewater and Spring Creek is not exactly the same.
“The theory of a full-service Community School is that they should serve what that population is, and so it’s not identical programming at all three schools. It’s very similar, but it’s not identical because one school community might have identified a need or a want that a different school did. All three elementaries have the same after school programming that’s free for the students of that building. And students can attend any of those school sites.”
Bailey said the program was initially funded by a 21st Century Community Learning Grant that came from the federal government to the State of Minnesota, and then was distributed to communities as needed. That funding has now been extended for three more years. Meanwhile the funds to expand the program to Spring Creek and Bridgewater are through the American Rescue Plan. Bailey said the funding is in place for the next two years, and she is hopeful the state legislature will fund the program after that.
The Community School is staffed by Northfield teachers and educational assistants, as well as students from Carleton and St. Olaf, and Bailey said, some late high-school students. Each school has a Community School Coordinator to oversee the entire program.
Community School is offered on Monday nights at Spring Creek, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Greenvale Park, and on Wednesday nights at Bridgewater.
Bailey said they are always looking for more help in both paid and volunteer roles. For more information, visit the employment section of the Northfield Public Schools website.
Rice county outlines options, resources for voting in general election
Rice County has issued a statement that clearly defines the processes for voting in the November 8th election. 
This year’s General Election will determine the state’s governor and lieutenant governor, as well as the more than 200 members of the Minnesota Legislature, three Northfield City Councilors, three members of the Northfield School board, and a school district referendum.
Rice County voters can vote early by mail or in person at the Property Tax and Elections Office in the Rice County Government Services Building in Faribault on weekdays through Friday, Nov. 4. The office will also be open for voting on Saturday, Nov. 5 and Monday, Nov. 7.
All Rice County voters or those living in Northfield’s Third Ward, part of which is in Dakota County, can also cast their ballot at Northfield City Hall during the same time frame.
Anyone voting early must fill out an application in order to receive an absentee ballot.
To register to vote, visit the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State website. Registration forms may be completed online or downloaded to be completed and mailed. Minnesota allows for Election Day registration, however that requires proof of residence. The forms and a list of acceptable identifying documents is also on the Secretary of State’s website.
Sam Temple of Northfield Public Broadcasting said that NPB has made several how-to-vote videos produced by the Secretary of State’s office available on the NPB website.
“They put together a lot of really wonderful PSA’s in quite a few different languages that explain just the simple process of voting, of registering to vote, making sure you’re registered, finding your polling place, the absentee process, the day-of registration. All the different scenarios for how you can vote and make sure your vote counts.”
That Secretary of State’s website, as well as the Elections page on the Rice County website also has information about the candidates for office.
The 2022 General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8th. Polls will be open that day from 7am until 8pm.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Sam Temple of Northfield Public Broadcasting can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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