HANCOCK — The Hancock City Council held its regular June meeting on Wednesday evening via Zoom. The four-hour meeting discussed the budget, recreational marijuana licensing, and a number of other topics touching on how the city operates.

Among those topics were splitting the clerk and treasurer positions into two positions, applying for a grant to match funds for the business and technology park, moving forward with a Rules of Procedure document, and discussing reform to the city’s rental code.

The motion to split the clerk and treasurer positions and the motion to apply for the price-match grant both passed. The Rules of Procedure document and the new rental ordinances were discussed but not voted on.

“We’re not looking to roll this out instantly,” Mayor Paul LaBine said of the proposed property ordinance changes. The discussion, which could increase the $5 one-time administrative fee and make licensing fees biannual rather than annual in order to pay for inspection and zone enforcement, originated in an October 2019 meeting of the planning commission.

“The $5 fee blows my mind,” City Manager Mary Babcock said in the October 2019 meeting. “It’s not worth the paper.”

The same proposed code could also reduce the number of non-related persons in a single unit from 4 to 3, and address the issue of “short-term rentals” like Airbnbs, which are not currently allowed by Hancock’s zoning ordinances and rental codes.

Now that the language has been approved, the proposed code will be sent to the Planning Commission. LaBine expressed hope that the prosed code would be ready to go to vote at the July council meeting.

The approved motion to submit the submittal of the grant application for the planned business and technology park is that it potentially commits the City of Hancock to pay half of the cost of the park development, an estimated $500,000.

Councilor Whitney Warstler expressed concern at the city’s ability to pay the amount, though other councilors were confident.

“Even if we’re moderately successful with a couple of businesses, if it doesn’t fill up, the revenue generated will be enough,” said councilor John Haeussler.

The land for the business and technology park is already owned by the city and has been set aside for the specific purpose. Having the park has been in Hancock’s master plan for a number of years but a financially feasible funding model had never been put forward. The current discussion originated in the autumn of last year when the grant-match opportunity through the Economic Development Administration was announced. The figures are based on a Request for Quotation that was sent out to four area contractors in February.

The meeting was also the first meeting since Mary Babcock became the new City Manager during a special meeting earlier this month. Babcock had previously operated as the clerk/treasurer as well as acting city manager following the illness and passing of the previous city manager, Barry Givens.