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The Austin City Council on Monday night approved the city’s cannabis ordinance after it voted to put it on hold in December, however, because the vote wasn’t unanimous it failed to pass.

Council members voted 6-1 in favor of the ordinance, which resembles the original incarnation of the guidance regarding cannabis businesses and sales in the city, but because the city charter requires a unanimous vote on first reading, it will now be moved ahead to the next meeting where it requires just simple majority to pass.

This allows council members more time to hear from the public regarding the ordinance.

The main reason the ordinance was paused in December was because some of the council members were concerned by the lack of any buffer limitations that would have kept cannabis businesses out of the spheres of public schools and daycare providers.

Geoff Baker, who was a Ward 1 representative at the time, and At-Large council member Jeff Austin were among those looking more closely at buffer restrictions with distances of 1,000 and 300 feet from schools and daycare centers mentioned as possibilities during discussions.

However, when the subject was brought up again at a Dec. 16 meeting, neither were in attendance and so the ordinance moved forward as is.

On Monday night, though, Austin once again expressed a desire to look again at the matter.

“I would have liked to have seen the buffer,” Austin said.

Discussions early on regarding the inclusion of buffer limits hovered around concerns that it could restrict available areas that a retail business might be able to set up.

According to the state law, local governments can prohibit the operations of said businesses up to 1,000 feet from a school or 500 feet from a day care, residential treatment facility or an attraction that is regularly used by minors, including parks.