There will be no marijuana retail stores or consumption lounges operating in the Town of Plattekill unless town residents petition the town to put the matter up for a vote via a permissive referendum.

The Plattekill Town Board voted 3-0 to opt out of both allowing pot stores and on-site consumption lounges at its meeting Wednesday at the Town Hall.

Retiring Supervisor Joseph Croce and Councilmen Darryl Matthews and Dean DePew Sr. voted against allowing cannabis dispensaries and on-site consumption lounges within the town’s borders.

Councilman Larry Farrelly was absent and the vacancy for former Town Board member Michael Putnam, who resigned in October, wasn’t filled until the vote was taken after the public hearing on the cannabis opt out law.

Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Wilfrido Castillo Jr. was appointed to fill Putnam’s seat following the conclusion of the cannabis opt out public hearing and a public hearing on the proposed towing law. The Plattekill resident said he had served on the ZBA for 17 years.

Castillo’s appointment is to run through 2022.

Cities, villages and towns had until Dec. 31, 2021, to vote to opt out of allowing licenses for either marijuana consumption lounges or retail dispensaries within their jurisdictions, according to New York’s cannabis laws.

Plattekill joined about 400 municipalities in New York that have nixed both marijuana retail stores and lounges. Many community leaders throughout the state have voiced concerns about the lack of regulations passed down by the state’s Cannabis Control Board.

Matthews said the confusion over New York’s new laws regarding pot shops and lounges made the decision to opt out easy for him.

“Until they have better laws to understand how to regulate it and work with it, I think right now it’s basically a learning curve,” Matthews said. “And that kind of scares us because basically someone could come in and do anything they want with a cannabis store. I think right now we’re kind of flying blind. That’s not fair to the business owner and that’s not fair to the residents of the town.”

Matthews said he would consider revisiting the idea of approving cannabis stores and on-site consumption lounges in the future after seeing how it works in other towns. Under state regulations, municipalities that have opted out of stores and lounges can opt back in at a later date.

“If the laws are there and we know how to regulate it and we are able to work with the companies coming in, I’d consider it,” Matthews said. “Right now, it’s just not there.”

Croce felt the prudent thing to do was to opt out of both options by the state’s Dec. 31 deadline. If the board didn’t opt out, the dispensaries and on-site consumption lounges would have been cleared to open automatically in the Town of Plattekill.

“The board didn’t feel that the state really provided us with enough information to really decide if we think that this is a good idea,” he said. “I believe we need more time to figure out if we’re going to allow it and in what zoning district we would allow it.”

Following many questions and objections to the proposed towing law by former Supervisor Judy Mayle during the public hearing, the board decided to postpone voting on the law. Croce said he would forward Mayle’s comments to Town Attorney Paul Kellar for his review.

The board has been working on the new towing law since September. Although there were representatives from several towing companies in the audience, Mayle was the only person to question the new law.

Calling Mayle’s comments mostly “semantics,” Croce said he expected a new public hearing on the new towing law will be scheduled for Jan. 19 following Kellar’s input. Croce said he believed the four towing companies that will be responsible for towing vehicles were largely satisfied with the proposed law.

In other news, the board voted 3-0 to approve a new three-year contract for the Town’s Police Department. Croce said the 18-member police force, which consists of strictly part-time officers, will receive a 2.0 percent pay increase each year.

Scott Meyer was appointed to fill a vacancy on the town’s Board of Assessment Review. He will replace Valerie Smith, who submitted her letter of resignation at the board meeting.