“They don’t even know what they’re doing.”
“This is pathetic.”
“What are we doing here?”
Comments tossed around the audience painted the Umatilla City Council in a less than flattering light Tuesday evening. Most of the comments related to ongoing discussion on the two “unfinished business” items on the council meeting agenda: proposed changes on zoning recommendations and an ordinance banning commercial marijuana establishments – including medical marijuana dispensaries.
The two action items go hand-in-hand.
The city is in the process of revising its planning and zoning information, including regulating where businesses of varying types can be located. The city established two moratoriums – one on marijuana dispensaries and one on adult entertainment businesses – in order to have the zoning outlined before any new businesses in those two categories could open.
The marijuana moratorium has expired, and the zoning document is not complete. Fearful of the consequences of allowing medical marijuana dispensaries into town without designated locations, the council approved an ordinance prohibiting any medical or recreational marijuana businesses or dispensaries.
Although the ordinance is a ban on those businesses, council members call the ban an “extension of the moratorium” and a “prohibition” and – although they were corrected – received disparaging comments from the audience. The ordinance passed unanimously.
“We really tormented over this decision,” Councilman Roak Ten Eyck said. “Personally, I know others did as well. Marijuana is now legal. My personal feeling is that … given time … the citizens who are in need are going to grow it on their own. I just feel that a few more months down the road, marijuana is going to be accessible to those who need it.”
The council said the voters stated the area’s position on marijuana by not voting in favor of recreational marijuana. Although the measure passed statewide, it did fail in Umatilla County. Half of the residents who commented during the meeting spoke in favor of allowing medical marijuana dispensaries, and no one spoke against it.
Umatilla City Manager Bob Ward added that even while the ban is in place, it only bans commercial establishments, and residents still have the legal right to grow and possess marijuana.
Council members and city staff have stated the ban can be repealed after the new zoning rules are in place. That document will go back to the planning commission on Tuesday, Aug. 24.
Earlier this month, the council met in a workshop to discuss what changes they would have the Planning Commission make to the new zoning proposal. Planning Commission Chairman Boyd Sharp and Umatilla City Planner Bill Searles also attended the meeting.
“I think there was a lot more progress,” Umatilla City Councilor Mary Dedrick said. “Before we can meet with them, we need to be able to tell the Planning Commission what we think needs to be changed.”
The Planning Commission will revise the document and send it back to the City Council for approval.
In other news, Steve Bunn, owner of Honey Bunnz Hideout, submitted a request for a beer garden for his business’ one-year anniversary. Because the request was submitted late, it went to the council for a vote to add it to the agenda. Councilman Ten Eyck made a motion to add it to the agenda for discussion, but the motion failed because no other council members seconded the motion.
During the public comment session, Bunn addressed the council.
“I think it’s ridiculous that I can’t be treated like a resident. I can’t be treated like a business owner,” he said.
Bunn then pointed to voting down medical marijuana dispensaries as another way of discouraging new businesses.
“What are we doing here?” he asked. “Chasing every business out of town. You guys don’t act like you care.”
In other business:
• Mark Ribich was appointed to the Code Improvement Board.
• Ward said city staff and police will work on making changes to the city’s code about what drug paraphernalia is illegal in the city. Because recreational marijuana is legal in the state of Oregon, the code does include wording for paraphernalia that is now no longer associated with an illegal drug.
The next Umatilla City Council meeting is Sept. 1.
