Commissioners flag 'Taste of Earth' as top choice in Millville cannabis license review

Millville City commissioners discussed a competitive review of cannabis retail-license applicants at their May 1 meeting and several members said one applicant, Taste of Earth, emerged as a top choice.

Mayor Dixon and staff described the process: the city collected nine applications and used a three-person administrative committee to assemble standardized scoring sheets and summaries for commissioner review. The committee, the mayor stressed, performed only informational work and did not rank applicants or make recommendations; the materials were shared in full with each commissioner.

Vice Mayor (speaker 7) thanked the committee for a thorough presentation and said Taste of Earth "stood out" for being locally owned, for having an established business and for supplying supporting recommendations. "Taste of Earth is the one I would recommend," the vice mayor said. Commissioner Taylor, Commissioner Ranella and Commissioner Kasabian voiced similar support, citing the applicant’s presentation and use of local vendors and security plans.

Mayor Dixon said he was recusing himself from the final vote because of his role in parts of the process and other reasons; he said each commissioner must exercise independent judgment on the license selection. Commissioners said they would either reach consensus at the meeting or return to materials if they needed further review.

Why it matters: The city’s choice will determine which applicant moves forward in local licensing; commissioners emphasized fairness and transparency in the process and credited the committee’s standardized materials for making comparisons practicable.

What happens next: Commissioners indicated they would discuss their preferences and either make a selection at the session or take time to review the full application materials individually before a final determination.