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Alan Silverstein: If you hear construction noise. And building the last eight units behind us Townhomes. the cited today to be dropping gravel and a bunch of other stuff

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Goodness.

Alan Silverstein: So here the trucks backing up. It was run and get your car out of the garage so you can get out.

Alan Silverstein: There’s Eric welcome.

Eric: Hello, welcome my tardiness.

Alan Silverstein: No, you’re early. We get five more minutes before we start.

Person 32: mine says 302

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: alright Yeah, I have three or two as well.

Alan Silverstein: Do you really? my computer says 255.

Person 32: Yeah.

Alan Silverstein: Alright, if it’s 302 and my computers are wrong. I’m sorry. Alright. we’re gonna call the February meeting of the Alcohol Tobacco and…

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: in fact instruction

Barbara a: worked out for Eric

Alan Silverstein: cannabis commission to order and we’ll take role commissioner chairman Al Silverstein here Vice chair Barbara wall is with us commissioner, Eric Morissette and commissioner Betty buck. So we have a quorum. And I need a motion to approve the January 18th 2024 meeting minutes.

Person 32: so moved

Eric: almost a second.

Alan Silverstein: alright, we got a motion second all those in favor signify by saying I O same sign.

Eric: alright

Person 32: I

Alan Silverstein: Okay, Mr. Executive director.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Thank you, Mr. Chair, since our last meeting of report first one at the enforcement activity our agents and our agents conducted 250. Tobacco inspections 159 alcohol inspections and all of those inspections yielded 22 reportable events. And as I mentioned in the past that that’s not to say that none of our significant they all are but generally chose a lot of compliance and in 22 instances, we found compliance wasn’t present in such a manner that we had to do a little bit more work on it from those 22 events. We uncovered 57,174 sticks of other tobacco products getting a tax loss of 38,221 dollars and forty cents. We found 748 packs of unstamped cigarettes for a tax loss of 2,800 five dollars. And 45 containers of distilled Spirits which generated a tax loss of $20 one cent.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: All these incidents occurred again, very broadly across the state. They include Allegheny County City Baltimore County Carroll County Cecil County Harford County Montgomery County Wicomico County and Worcester County. It’s pretty busy week and I’m gonna slip into HR and segging into that to say that on Jill on February 7th. We hired the last three agents that we had for our vacant positions and we hired an additional person on our reporting and data unit as well, so we are down to

00:05:00

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: One vacancy from the new positions. We got effective this fiscal year and that’s a policy analyst that person has been selected. They currently live in California. So they’re moving here for the job and they’ve an offers been made and accepted and we are simply waiting for me to get here. We expect to have them on board by February 13th, and I see pools for the record commissioner pools with us so we can just make note of that. So that’s March 13th. After as of now and forgetting that policy anals for just a moment. We do have one new vacancy that someone who retired last month that’s our director of our regulatory administrative Services Bureau. She retired after at many years of service. And so now we have that as a vacancy that job position has been advertised and will close one Monday the nineteenth and then we expect to move very quickly with interviews and filling that position as well.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: something I’m just real proud of this gang here that I get to work with every day. Last Thursday one week ago. was the culmination of a couple of weeks build up and that specifically was we had decided to try and do some volunteer service work in our Baltimore City neighborhood that we’re here and so Jessica Honeycutt, just an incredible ate for us executive associate. She put together a visit to a place called The Franciscan Center, which is in the middle of Baltimore. So our people collected a lot of personal hygiene items personal needs toiletries, and we donated them last Thursday morning and then several people stayed back as well to prepare meals.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: To serve meals and to help really with a bunch of clothing that people needed help them find what they were looking for was almost like a small retail establishment, but nothing costs anything but nonetheless be served as retailers for the day if you will and it’s really to serve all the clients that were there. So we had just a terrific showing from the atccc and it really brought together the team quite well the team consisted of several people who were there that day Other people who contributed items and then still some people who said they might want to participate all the fort down to so it’s just a good event all the way around. I’m really proud of the work that these true servants are they just have service in their hearts and they demonstrated that last week. So we hope to do that a couple of times a year for all works out for us.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Jumping into a legal and legislative work so far this year important dates for us are this coming Monday, which is President’s Day. It’s also what is a colloquially known as alcohol day and commissioner Buck again is very familiar with that day.

Person 32: Yeah.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: It’s a day to avoid Annapolis if you can because it’s a busy day. that hearing is an economic matters in the house. It’s a very busy day where we go through all the bills that have some

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Reach out into alcohol. So it is just a day where it’s pretty much standing room only for a long time unless you get there very early and they can be long days that’s on Monday on Tuesday. It’s kind of House Tobacco day, which is also an economic matters. That’s not typically a big thing from year to year. But this year it is really surrounding electronic smoking devices. They’re a lot of different bills and a lot of different interest levels of that. So that’s actually become a significant day this year. I believe on Thursday next week is the Senate tobacco day. And then I know for certain Friday is the Senate alcohol day.

Person 32: Okay.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: So it’s a busy week for us. We’re gonna rest up a little bit but what we can on Saturday and Sunday and hit it Monday, it’s gonna be busy a couple of other important dates for us on February 29th in the House Appropriations. Our budget hearing is taking place. So that’s with our subcommittee Appropriations and some committee that sees oversees us. We’ve already done some work and meeting with the delegate who is

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Share of that subcommittee. We actually met with the chief of staff laid out our budget for fy25 and as I mentioned to you last month, we’ve got a very healthy budget, I should say it this way. We asked for certain things from the governor and it looks like he’s Staffing as we met his Target and asked for a little bit more and it looks like for us the allowance indicates that and now we’re going to the general assembly and hoping that we get that appropriated. So we had a good meeting with delegate Chair Lewis last week and I hope that’s going to go well and then concurrent a commencement with that on March 4th. We have our budget hearing before the Senate.

00:10:00

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: And we met yesterday with Senator Sara elfirth who is the chair of our budget and Taxation committee that oversees our budget and again had a very robust good healthy discussion. And if all goes well and we do receive the Appropriations at the governor’s created allowance for I feel like we’re going to be in pretty good shape for 25 to really settle in and make a few technology improvements that are going to mean a lot to our shareholders are the businesses quite frankly anybody who’s got one of our licenses. I think you’re going to really be impacted with some dramatic improvements and Technology. Last thing I’d like to move on to is and two things I guess one is you may have seen on our agenda and the minutes a little bit of a different logo and Motif and styling of our letterhead. So we were trying to put together something that’s really our brand.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: We will ultimately have to get all this approved by the governor’s Communications office and we’ve sent it up there for that. But in the meantime, they said just go ahead and start using it for now and we’ll let you know as we go along but we wanted to make something I was a little more current more of us, just starting again hitting the ground floor with a new logo. And so you’ll start seeing that repeated at our website, I mentioned that TL last month and then the other thing that came up commissioner pool you made mention of wanting to maybe have some person meetings. So we’d like to have a schedule where the last meeting of each quarter. So before a year we set as being In person and understanding that’s not always going to be feasible for anybody and we don’t want to not have a quorum because we can’t do that. So I’m sure we’re going to make technological.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: A little bit do something technology wise to make sure we still can keep our quorums and that’s the only thing that stops IT. But if this works out and if it’s something that commission would like to take up we would be prepared to start with our next meeting on March 21st, if you’re not that’s fine, but right now we have March 21st. June 20th September 19th and December 19th earmarked as days we could hold in-person meeting. So I leave that to you to ultimately debate and decide but that’s what we are suggesting is maybe something that would be reasonable with again always have the virtual backup if necessary. So with that Mr. Chair and Commissioners at the conclusion of my report.

Alan Silverstein: Thank you very much. I take a motion to approve the quarterly in-person schedule.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: just

Alan Silverstein: parent I need a second.

Barbara a: slow motion

Person 32: Second, okay?

Robert Poole: a

Alan Silverstein: okay, we have motion a second all those in favor signify by saying I O same sign ice habit.

Eric: alright

Alan Silverstein: So we will have quarterly in-person meetings. And for those who are not able to attend will still be able to bring you in the format that we’re using now.

Robert Poole: And I’m hoping Alan we will have Refreshments at those events, correct?

Alan Silverstein: You should see if you haven’t mentioned a new office and they have a refreshment bar. And be perfect. We’ll come in early.

Robert Poole: Alright. Thank you.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: We like to think that the place we’re in now is our refreshment. You’re just gonna feel it when you walk in here. We are still a state operation with limited budget so We’ll see what we can do on that.

Alan Silverstein: we can always chip and Police two dollars a piece and…

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Sure.

Alan Silverstein: make sure that the donuts are fresh.

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: That’s right.

Eric: do

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: And we do have a Dunkin’ Donuts in our complex here within the year and…

Alan Silverstein: I would

Eric: although

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: walking distance so we can for

Alan Silverstein: Life is good. I would mention that Mr. Kelly and I had an opportunity to visit Cota which is one of the marijuana operations that grow both inside and outside in Cambridge a couple weeks ago and it was extremely extremely eye-opening to me to see their quality. Process, how everything is followed just the scientific end of it and the Laboratories to make sure that the product is a quality product. And we appreciated that opportunity and if other opportunities come up and we will be more than happy to let you know if you would like to join us. so

Person 32: I would love that.

Robert Poole: Yep.

Eric: yes, and

Alan Silverstein: Yeah, because we do have What are an Egypt seven six or seven other th major Growers around the state?

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Therefore and call to this one in particular invited us back specifically and they said really the time to come would be in the fall because the fall is when the outdoor grow which is huge. The outdoor grow is being harvested. This is just really a very interesting and active time and it’s amazing to see as chair said the Work that goes into this all before you sell one item in for retail the work that goes behind at the science that goes into at the infrastructure that has to take place. Just so much research and development. It’s an amazing operation and they’re building out still and I think one of the things that was really interesting about call today is they’re one of very few if any other of the states existing license holders that

00:15:00

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Are filing to be an incubator site to help really new companies come in and learn the business to teach them how to do the business so that as it grows people can start with some base and knowledge instead of having to start from a position of no knowledge and really enhancing the opportunity for Success. So it’s a fascinating place. And the chairman introduced me to a very nice place to grab lunch while you’re there too. So let’s think about that in the fall as a possible place to go.

Eric: Sounds great.

Alan Silverstein: Alright, so anybody else have any business for us for today? If not, I’d ask for a motion to adjourn.

Person 32: so moved a second

Alan Silverstein: alright and…

Eric: second

Alan Silverstein: most and all those in favor signify by saying I o same side motion carries.

Eric: alright

Alan Silverstein: Once again, I just want to say that kudos to Mr. Kelly and his staff for being able to do such a good job of Staffing up getting quality people.

Eric: Yes.

Alan Silverstein: I know that’s been a challenge for lots of departments and we’re actually a model department when it comes to doing that. congratulations and keep up the good work. Thank you..

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: Thank you.

Person 32: and my

Robert Poole: basically

Jeffrey Kelly -ATCC-: alright

Barbara a: Bye.