The Niles City Council is moving forward with a proposed medical marijuana proposal.

At the council’s Monday meeting, a proposed medical marijuana opt-in ordinance was introduced along with a first reading of the ordinance that would authorize medical marijuana facilities as outlined by state law.

During the meeting, the council discussed parts of the ordinance with much of the meeting being dominated by discussion of Section 3 A 1 of the proposed ordinance, which limited the number of structures in the Industrial Park that could house growers, processing or provisioning facilities of medical marijuana to two.

Mayor Nick Shelton was in favor of removing the cap of two facilities in the Industrial Park, noting that a cap could be limiting the city in terms of business growth and tax dollars.

“If we take the cap off those spaces, we allow them to build more facilities in the Industrial Park, which, in turn, will bring back more money to the city [through taxes],” Shelton said.

However, not every council member agreed with the mayor.

Some, like council member Georgia Boggs, said removing the cap could send the wrong message to the youth of Niles.

Others said that removing the cap now was hasty and that it would be a better idea to remove the cap later on, should the city decide the cap is not in the city’s best interests.

“We don’t want to be known as pot city U.S.A.,” said council member Daniel VandenHeede.

A vote to remove the cap on the number of medical marijuana facilities in the Industrial Park failed. However, a separate vote to increase the cap to four facilities passed.

At the council’s Nov. 13 meeting, the council will host a second reading of the opt-in ordinance and a consideration of the enactment of the general ordinance.

A medical marijuana zoning amendment will be discussed at the Planning Commission’s Oct. 25 meeting.

In other business:

• The council approved the purchase of an Unmanned Aircraft System, colloquially known as a drone, from the Michigami Group, Inc. of Holland. The drone will cost $40,182. Though the city purchased a drone last year, this new drone will be of a higher quality, and can potentially be used to help locate missing persons, according to some members of the council. With the new drone coming in, the old drone will be used for training purposes according to the city utilities manager.

• The council approved a request from the utilities manager for $121,679. The money will be used to install Marvin windows from Zeeland Lumber of Mishawaka to a building that is for sale by the city. A proposed buyer of the property will reimburse the city for the cost of the windows, should the sale go through, according the council.

• The council approved a traffic order request that would prohibit parking on the north side of Huron Street from Third Street to Fifth Street.