BELLVILLE — Voters in the village of Bellville on Tuesday rejected a local ballot measure that would have permitted the establishment and operation of an adult-use cannabis dispensary within the village.

According to final, unofficial results from the Richland County Board of Elections, the measure failed with 172 votes (27.70%) in favor and 449 votes (72.30%) against.

The issue would have directed Bellville Village Council to enact legislation regulating the operation of such a dispensary if approved. Ohio voters legalized recreational marijuana use and sales statewide in 2023, but the law allows municipalities to decide whether dispensaries may operate within their limits.

“We want to thank everyone who took the time to share their views by voting,” said Mayor Teri Brenkus on Tuesday. “We hear you, and your feedback is essential to guide decisions moving forward.”

If approved, Bellville would have joined a growing list of Ohio communities opting in to allow adult-use dispensaries, including the city of Mansfield.

Election results are not official until certified by the Richland County Board of Elections.

Issue history

Members of Bellville’s planning commission voted 2-2 on whether or not to allow dispensaries in December 2023.

After conducting a public forum and hearing split opinions, Bellville’s village council decided to let voters decide on the matter.

“Planning commission recommended that course of action to the village council and then village council agreed to that,” Brenkus previously said.

“We all felt that it’s up to the residents if they are interested in that revenue source.”

At a public forum in March 2024, Brenkus told Richland Source funds from dispensary taxes could help the village pay for road maintenance and additional policing.

Under Ohio law, 36 percent of the excise tax on marijuana sales is supposed to go to the municipalities where dispensaries are located, in addition to any regular sales tax revenue.

Several other municipalities in Richland County, including Ontario, Mifflin Township, Lexington and Madison Township, all voted to ban the retail sale of cannabis.

Mansfield lawmakers voted to allow up to three dispensaries in the city. The first opened in April.

Council opinions

Even if voters had approved the measure, its implementation likely would have faced resistance at the council level.

At a recent Candidate Conversation event hosted by Richland Source in Bellville, all candidates for village council said they would not enact legislation reflecting the result of the cannabis vote if it conflicted with their personal stance on the issue.

The conversation included current council members Debra Carver, Edd Black and Timothy Truex and challengers Amy Frontz, Steve Haring and Benjamin Stewart.

According to final, unofficial results from the Richland County Board of Elections, Black and Carver retained their seats and Frontz defeated Truex by only 15 votes.

Carver said she opposed the dispensary because “it doesn’t fit the character of Bellville.”

“I’m not against the use of it,” Carver said. “I just don’t think we need it in our backyard. I wish it could just be for medicinal reasons only.”

Black expressed concern about the kind of customers such a business might attract.

“Bellville is a community of homes. Homes have families in them. That’s what we want to attract,” he said. “Who are we attracting to Bellville with this — baby buggies?

“I don’t think so. We’re attracting some other element that we may not want.”

Frontz said she would need more information before supporting such a business.

“I need to see the scenarios of what it looks like; I want to see a five-year plan of what the budget would be,” she said. “I would hate to be, on a Friday night, sitting at V&M (Restaurant) waiting for food and walking through smoke all around me.”