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2015, 01-27 Formal Format Meeting MINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting Formal Meeting Format Tuesday,January 27,2015 Mayor Grafos called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Attendance: City Staff: Dean Grafos, Mayor Mike Jackson, City Manager Arne Woodard, Deputy Mayor Mark Calhoun,Deputy City Manager Chuck Hafner, Councilmember John Hohman, Community Development Dir. Rod Higgins, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks & Rec Director Ed Pace, Councilmember Eric Guth, Public Works Director Ben Wick, Councilmember Cary Driskell, City Attorney Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney ABSENT: Rick VanLeuven, Police Chief Bill Bates, Councilmember Morgan Koudelka, Sr. Administrative Analyst Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk INVOCATION: Pastor Steve Williams of New Assembly of God Church gave the invocation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council, Staff, and audience stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councilmembers were present except Councilmember Bates. It was moved by Councilmember Pace, seconded and unanimously agreed to excuse Councilmember Bates from tonight's meeting. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the agenda. INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS: n/a COMMITTEE, BOARD, LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS: Councilmember Hafner: reported that Councilmember Bates, who is being treated for lung cancer, is doing much better and has been transferred from Deaconess Hospital to Sunshine Health Facility. Councilmember Hafner reported that he went to the Visit Spokane meeting where they discussed the programming for the coming year, including their budget and marketing plans, and said he is hopeful they will be reaching out soon to the municipalities; said the Sports Commission gave an overview of the sports-plex project, which is a huge project and includes the potential for an indoor track, said they are not certain where such a facility would be located, and the issue might be included on the August 2015 ballot; met with the Health Board last week and he gave some statistics concerning the flu in our County: ten confirmed deaths, and 249 hospitalizations this year compared to 163 last year. Said he also met with the STA Board where Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove was selected as 2015 Chair; attended the SCOPE Board meeting and he gave some statistics on the crime stoppers; said he visited the Pines Road CHAS Facility where they handled about 51,000 patients last year, and said they are considering two additional locations in Spokane Valley. Councilmember Pace: said he also toured the CHAS facility and talked to one of the managers who confirmed that the two additional locations will have bus service close by. Councilmember Higgins: no report. Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-2015 Page 1 of 7 Approved by Council: 02-10-2015 Councilmember Wick: said he was selected as the SRTC Vice-Chair, and explained that SRTC, Spokane Regional Transportation Council, is the state designated regional transportation planning organization for Spokane County where federal funds for transportation projects are routed and awarded to local agencies; said that along with others, he went to Olympia for discussions about transportation projects, said that this year there were more positive discussions concerning transportation revenue packages, said he met with Senator King who feels there is an 80% chance the package will pass, and said of all the projects mentioned, our Barker Bridge Separation was not included, said he is unsure why that occurred and he will get more information for the next Association of Washington Cities committee meeting; mentioned he is the chair of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) and the committee plans to meet this Thursday to discuss the committee's general direction and to set a meeting date to involve the grant applicants; said he is also involved with the Tourism Promotion Area (TPA) where eleven applications for grants were received. Deputy Mayor Woodard: said he also toured the CHAS (Community Health Association of Spokane), an organization to help provide health services to moderately low and low-income people; said he gave a report to the Sunshine Rotary Club about some of our City's accomplishments for 2014. MAYOR'S REPORT: Proclamation: "The Big Read" After Mayor Grafos read "The Big Read" Proclamation, it was accepted with thanks by Library Services Manager Gwendolyn Haley, who invited everyone to the kick-off event February 8, for an evening with Jack London at the Valley Library, 6 p.m., said they will be giving away free copies of the book, and that many copies have been distributed to local schools. Mayor Grafos had no other report. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mayor Grafos invited public comment. Cindy Ballet, Spokane Valley: regarding trucks parking in residential neighborhoods, said she has 58 individual citizen action requests that she will bring to the City tomorrow; said a lot of people support not having trucks in neighborhoods, but didn't feel comfortable signing the form in fear of retaliation; and she read her prepared letter explaining what is occurring with trucks parking in their community; and said that Council won't protect the residential look of the neighborhoods. Marilyn Cline, Spokane Valley: regarding trucks parking in residential neighborhoods, said Council voted down their own codes, ordinances and RCWs and said that public safety was thrown under the bus, or semi; said the City is complaint driven and she has 50 complaints to be turned in tomorrow; said most R-3 neighborhood residents are not aware that trucks are allowed to park in their neighborhoods; she said no one wants a semi in front of their home and she asked where did public safety go? Ray Ward, Spokane Valley: said he was at the Council meeting in October where the truckers were in attendance in force; someone at that meeting said if you don't like it, then move to Spokane where they aren't permitted; said he has lived here for over 60 years and isn't moving; said Council and truckers want to reduce the health and safety of the neighborhoods, devalue property, and that he is tired of the noise pollution and of the lack of concern for the safety of children. There were no further public comments. 1.PUBLIC HEARING: Marijuana Moratorium—Erik Lamb Mayor Grafos opened the public hearing at 6:31 p.m. Deputy City Attorney Lamb explained the purpose of tonight's public hearing on the marijuana moratorium, which he said was imposed for unlicensed marijuana uses; said the hearing meets the state requirements, and that the moratorium is temporary for one year, and does not impact existing medical or recreational marijuana uses or recreational licensed businesses. Mr. Lamb explained that there are no controls or regulations over medical marijuana and the City has recognized some apparent gaps in the laws, such as vaping lounges and under-age marijuana consumption, adding that marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Mr. Lamb further explained that the purpose of the moratorium is to allow time to study the regulations over the unlicensed uses, and to address some changes anticipated to occur at the state level. Mr. Lamb noted that he received three written comments,two of which are included in tonight's Council packet materials,that the City Clerk has one, and that he also received an anonymous telephone call about the City posturing about how dangerous Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-2015 Page 2 of 7 Approved by Council:02-10-2015 marijuana is and that that person would prefer more of a "crackdown" on bars and drinking. Again, Mr. Lamb emphasized that the moratorium is about unlicensed marijuana uses and that it does not impact personal, recreational, or medical use; and after tonight, staff will bring findings of fact to a subsequent Council meeting for Council to consider adopting to begin the process for Council to consider permanent regulations, adding that the matter will also be discussed at Planning Commission meetings where that body will also conduct a hearing and make recommendations to Council. Mayor Grafos invited the public to comment. 1. Shelley Clark: said that unlicensed medical marijuana can sell near schools; that there are numerous on-line sites where one can purchase marijuana and said she is concerned with the lack of regulations; said kids are putting vapors in e-cigarettes and smoking in the school bathrooms; said we need reasonable regulations and restrictions, said many people feel their property is being de-valued by having the medical marijuana businesses next to them; said some people even call wanting to know how to dose their animals with marijuana; and said it is common sense to have restrictions and regulations. 2. John Ahern. South Hill: said he would like to see an ordinance to outlaw the production and sale as well as outlaw chat rooms; said marijuana is like alcohol and if"there's one rattlesnake in the bed, why put in a second rattlesnake." Said if we want a business friendly city, he suggests we come up with an ordinance to prohibit the manufacture and sale of marijuana. 3. Dan Clark, Spokane County: said he echoed what Mr. Ahern just said; said the Council represents the morality of the community and that we need to slow these inebriants down so young people won't start these behaviors; he suggested the need to get a handle on this and find a way to stop it or slow it down. 4. Gloria Clark: concerning marijuana for property managers, said she is with the Inland NW Landlord Association, and property owners/managers have a right to micro-manage their property even though some tenants may say they are on medical marijuana; that managers or property owners have the right to say they do not want any type of smoking, no e-cigarettes or not even any marijuana edibles; said the use of marijuana is still a federal offense. 5. George McGraft, Spokane: said disasters have been happening with Spokane City since they passed their recreational marijuana act; said he doesn't think this Council wants to follow in that vein; said medical marijuana is okay but there need to be controls, much like the pharmaceutical organizations; said not to regulate it would be like having taverns for professional drinkers; said marijuana is still illegal federally; said people use it in food, feed it to their pets, and this type of activity warrants strong control; and stressed the idea of treating it like any other medication. 6. Lacey Lindsey, Spokane: said she works with homeless women and children in Spokane Valley and has concerns about marijuana issues; said marijuana is a gateway drug to other substances and she favors ordinances to regulate those uses and help prevent exposure to youth; and she mentioned regulations should include billboard advertising. 7. Paul Lugo, Spokane: said he has a medical cannabis facility and has been involved with several organizations through the state; said there is a lot of misinformation circulating; that state law already has guidelines to not allow any type of facility within 1,000 feet of the perimeters of schools and daycares; said the last time he was here there was a lot of information about usage in schools and of the perception of harm; said the Tactical Advisory Committee of Spokane put together some information about medical and recreational marijuana and he feels they are a leader in what they did; said it is a large document and the last few pages contains data on youth usage and perception of harm; and said he will leave this material for Council. 8. Tara Harrison: said the last meeting she came to was appalling with statements made about buying marijuana in a Rite-Aid store; said you can't do that; said the valley appears to be looking at this in a very closed minded old school way; she thinks Council needs to embrace the national movement as marijuana has a 90% approval rate among all Americans. 9. Linda Thompson, Spokane Valley: said she lives in Spokane Valley but spends most of her time with the Greater Spokane Abuse Council; said she is here to thank Council and staff and appreciates the information received from Mr. Lamb as he did an excellent job bringing information about the initiatives; Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-20I5 Page 3 of 7 Approved by Council:02-10-2015 said there is a lot of misconception about the rules and regulations and this initiative; said two years after an initiative, the Legislature can make changes and they are looking at hundreds of possible changes, from how taxes will be distributed, to edibles, to how to reconcile medical and recreational marijuana; said stepping back is good as there are ways now to get around some of these regulations; said she saw a billboard about a store,there was a small sign on the premise but there was a billboard next to the facility pointing to it; said she doesn't want to break what the initiative did, but she does want to protect the youth. 10. Sean Green: said he is a business owner in the valley and that he's right in the middle of this topic; he has operations in Spokane and Shoreline, and mentioned the idea about not paying taxes for medical marijuana; said he paid $194,000 in taxes; that he employees fourteen other people; he acquired some property on Euclid that was the topic of discussion with this Council in March; said he exercised his personal decision and signed a five-year lease on that property for medical and recreational marijuana, but there was a delay in the business license and his is one of those pending licenses; said he got a letter last week that the processing of the license has been stalled and could not move forward due to this moratorium; said the moratorium doesn't get him out of his lease and he is in an interesting bind now because of Council's decision; and said he goes with the will of the voters. 11. Shane Criddle: said he is a business owner; that often times people use emotional arguments to pass laws that are not in the best interest of the community; and he asked if we were willing to sell our—the Valley's - soul for the sake of tax revenue or of an addictive substance, by making it readily accessible; said he loves this community, has friends who enjoy marijuana but he disagrees with them on that; but said we have to live together and he doesn't want his property values decreased because some other business has the right to de-value his property. 12. Shirley DeMars: said she represents one of the 10% who feel this is not good for our community; said she is part of a Coalition for Community Values which has hundreds of members; said she has seven kids so she has a "pulse" on what's going on in the minds of kids; said Washington state made it difficult for kids to get a driver's license and she applauds the State for those rules; said marijuana increases difficulty in memory, causes paranoia, anxiety, depression; said 66% of high school kids say marijuana is easy to get and there is no risk in its use. 13. Dave Ross, Spokane Valley: said he was formally a police officer in Edmonds, Washington; mentioned a recent news article about Colorado's Governor who feels the legalization of marijuana was a bad idea; said he has twenty-three grandkids and this is a bad thing for kids to have access to. 14. Sandy Ross: said she appreciates the moratorium; said the Spokesman Review stated that unregulated pot creates headaches in law enforcement and she read an internet snippet about unregulated medical marijuana; regarding providing jobs, said she would hope those medical/recreational jobs aren't more rehab facilities and outreach drug programs. 15. Tara Criddle: thanked Council for the moratorium and said she feels it is much needed as it causes everyone to pause and reevaluate the situation; said time is needed to look at every angle of the complicated issue; said she won't let someone tell her to "get used to it" as there are mothers like her who understand the consequences for society; said she speaks from experience as she smoked it for many years; it causes paranoia, memory loss, hallucinations; said she doesn't want that for the children; and for tax revenues,said we don't need that revenue. 16. Linda Krone, lives toward Elk: said she and her sons opened a small medical dispensary in early October; said studies show there are many illnesses that can be helped by marijuana; said she can't smoke but can take a candy and thereby get a better night's sleep; she mentioned an article on CNN and information shown on YouTube about the benefits of medical marijuana in helping for example, children experiencing uncontrolled seizures; and she urged people to keep an open mind. 17. Rick Shrack, Otis Orchards: said all their employees have to have identification presented before filling any prescriptions, and that the employees want to make sure everyone is of age; said kids aren't getting marijuana from the medical places; that there is a need to make sure medical and recreational marijuana are separate;that we need more regulations and they should not all be lumped together. Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-2015 Page 4 of 7 Approved by Council:02-10-2015 18. John McGrath, Spokane Valley: said any parent who wants their child to get into the field of aviation, that the child would not be able to with a history of marijuana use [inferred comments]. City Clerk Bainbridge stated that she received an e-mail from Spokane County Planning Commissioner Alene Lindstrand, which stated that there is a big difference between medical and recreational marijuana; that she wants to protect the children, workforce and educational environment and asked the Valley not become a haven from personal pot growing and production business, and not to add to the County's mistake of allowing unlimited pot businesses. There were no further public comments and Mayor Grafos closed the public hearing at 7:26 p.m. Mayor Grafos called for a recess at 7:26 p.m., and reconvened the meeting at 7:37 p.m. 2. CONSENT AGENDA: Consists of items considered routine which are approved as a group. Any member of Council may ask that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda to be considered separately. Proposed Motion:I move to approve the Consent A'enda. a. Approval of claim vouchers on Jan 27, 2015 Request for Council Action Form, Totaling: $1,761,772.89 b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending January 15, 2015: $355,095.99 c. Motion to Authorize City Manager to finalize and execute YMCA Contract d. Approval of January 6, 2015 Council Study Session Meeting Minutes e. Approval of January 13,2015 Council Formal Meeting Minutes f. Approval of January 20,2015 Council Study Session Meeting Minutes Councilmember Pace asked that the YMCA Contract be removed from the Consent Agenda and be considered separately. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda minus the YMCA contract. It was then moved by Councilmember Pace and seconded, to authorize the City Manager to finalize and execute the YMCA Contract. Councilmember Pace explained that he is in favor of the contract, realizes Council heard a report on this issue, but as a matter of principle feels every contract should be considered separately and not put on the Consent Agenda, said at some point he wants to talk about contracts as he feels we should always have a request for proposal even if there is only one vendor in town. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: 3. Second Reading Proposed Ordinance 15-001 Amending Dangerous Dog Regulations-Cary Driskell After City Clerk Bainbridge read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard and seconded to approve Ordinance 15-001 amending Spokane Valley Municipal Code Animal Regulations. City Attorney Driskell gave a brief overview of the proposed amendments. Mayor Grafos invited public comments; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 4. Motion Consideration: Updated Commute Trip Reduction Plan—Morgan Koudelka It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard and seconded to adopt the Commute Trip Reduction Plan Updates: 2015-19, Updating the Plan Originally Adopted by Ordinance 10-013. Via his PowerPoint presentation, Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka explained the history of the Commute Trip Reduction legislation and of our City's involvement with that Plan; he went over the new goals and targets of the plan, our City's associated cost of approximately $2,000 a year, offset by state funding, which amounted to $61,772 for the current two-year period; the benefits to our city, economic development associated with the Plan, and the state requirements and penalties. Mr. Koudelka also briefly went over the Plan Update which includes text from our Comprehensive Plan Community Goals. Deputy City Attorney Lamb added that under the state law, we are required to adopt a plan and an ordinance; that the plan must be consistent with the goals of the Department of Transportation as well as with the state CTR, Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-2015 Page 5 of 7 Approved by Council:02-10-2015 and said this plan would meet those requirements. Councilmember Pace said he will not support the motion to adopt the plan and said this is just another sign of government getting big and complex and he wants to push back and say no. Deputy Mayor Woodard, Councilmembers Wick, Higgins and Hafner voiced support of this plan, and Mayor Grafos said he also favors adopting the plan, that for a minimal cost we have such things as bus stops, pads and bus shelters, and mentioned the road grants that we would not be eligible for without this plan; he said no one says they want to drive more miles and a vote against this could be thought of as voting for more traffic and more air pollution and send a message that we want to increase gasoline consumption. Councilmember Pace said it appears the state is telling Councilmembers how to vote, and said he didn't think anyone could tell Council how to vote. City Attorney Driskell said in this instance they can. Councilmember Pace replied that he's "not buying it." There were no public comments. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Mayor Grafos, Deputy Mayor Woodard, and Councilmembers Wick, Higgins and Hafner. Opposed: Councilmember Pace. Motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no additional public comments. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS: 5. Advance Agenda—Mayor Grafos Councilmember Pace said he would like to see the topics of e-cigarettes, marijuana and minors in possession, and railroad quiet zones for future agendas. Mr. Driskell said he is drafting a memorandum for the e-cigarettes and that should be included in a council packet within a week or two. Councilmember Pace suggested Council have an ad-hoc committee formed of some council and staff to look at bridging the valley and quiet zones and other issues concerning rails. Mr. Jackson said this issue will be addressed at an upcoming finance committee and is slated to be discussed at the February workshop. Concerning past studies, Mr. Jackson said the intent would be to base discussions on the previous study; he said probably everyone would like to have quiet zones, but it comes down to a financial issue; that it can start with the finance committee, then be discussed at the workshop, and see how the cost fits in with other priorities. Mayor Grafos agreed that is a good start. 6. Department Monthly Reports These were for information only and were not discussed or reported. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS City Manager Jackson mentioned the draft letter to the members of the Northeastern Washington Legislative Delegation from the Association of Northeast Washington Mayor's, a copy of which was placed at the Council dais, concerning retaining state shared revenues and in particular, alcohol revenue and the importance of those related to public safety; said the plan is to get the letters to the legislators as soon as possible, and said it is our practice to bring letters to Council to get consensus for the mayor to sign and send the letter. Councilmember Pace said he likes everything in the letter except the part about raising the gas tax. Mayor Grafos said although one could read it as asking for an increase in the gas tax, it doesn't explicitly state that, and said he has no problem in signing the fetter, and Councilmembers agreed with the Mayor signing the letter. Mr. Jackson said he asked our legislative lobbyists to forward a legislative report to council, and included in that information are about eighteen potential bills regarding marijuana, which he said will be watched carefully, and which will be discussed at the February workshop. Concerning our proposal involving lien authority legislation, Mr. Jackson said that Senator Padden has agreed to sponsor the legislation with a $5,000 cap, although we realize it will still be strongly opposed by the community banks. Mr. Jackson asked Council if they have any other legislative issues they wish discussed, and Councilmember Wick mentioned the Barker overpass project, which we have in our legislative agenda as a long-range project; he said Lobbyist Briahna Taylor mentioned that most of the projects are state projects like the widening of State Highway 904, or a potential new interchange in the North/South Freeway, and Mr. Jackson said Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-2015 Page 6 of 7 Approved by Council:02-10-2015 that neither us nor our local delegates support the local gas tax increase, which might relate to us not hearing about the Barker overpass project at this time. Mr. Jackson said we mentioned to our delegates that we are putting together an economic impact study of the economics of the Appleway Trail, which is almost completed and which staff and council can take to Olympia; he said he is hopeful that the study will show that we can validate the potential for economic development related to the Appleway Trail. Councilmember Wick said it appears we are getting a lot of support, but for the transportation budget, there is no money for any projects in the regular budget so we won't get a state grant or funds for any project without some change; said he would hate to have an outcome like the previously passed 'nickel tax'that passed without our support, and where none of our projects were included in that funding source; he said we are still paying that tax anyway but with no benefit regarding our local projects, and said he would like to educate others about our projects and that investments in our projects would be good for the region and the state. Mayor Grafos agreed and said perhaps we would push toward that in a different manner and that should be discussed further. Councilmember Pace also agreed with Councilmember Wick's comments and said the idea of an ad hoc committee would be working on that piece as well as quiet zones and examining local options for some bridging the valley project; not with the idea of re- doing studies, but with the idea of getting something done. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:27 p.m. j. �'' AT ESfie. Grafos, Mayor f-�7',\,k, I 3-i-c:-/" .1i. Kristine Bainbridge, City Clerk Minutes Regular Council Meeting 01-27-2015 Page 7 of 7 Approved by Council:02-10-2015 GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN-IN SHEET SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, January 27, 2015 GENERAL CITIZEN COMMENTS YOUR SPEAKING TIME WILL GENERALLY BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTE: Please sign in if you wish to make public comments. NAME TOPIC OF CONCERN YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE PLEASE PRINT YOU WILL SPEAK ABOUT -- C.\fl& Le d2. Please note that once information is entered on this form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure. SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 2015 PUBLIC HEARING SIGN-IN SHEET SUBJECT: Marijuana Moratorium Please sign below if you would like to speak at the PUBLIC HEARING. PRINT NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD. There may be a time limit for your comments. Any documents for Council consideration should be provided to the City Clerk for distribution. NAME Your City of Residence PLEASE PRINT A/ /,121724/ gi/5" S;e7/0 /1- )' c/2- -/- 7/PfZ te7,^0-7 i ft C o© 4z-;--0A-775. `oo h r l75 Rs( _Skrvi -- a_ r �r S cffki L i rI d / 31,(V S, C. Sokake, wA-V\ot. S-7--\DooNN-z_/coo \ t'l /K „ 0 55,1--C / _ I &I/le166 Please note that once information is entered on this form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure. Chris Bainbridge From: collie_mamma <collie_mamma@msn.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 27,-2015 12:38 AM To: Chris Bainbridge Subject: TUBS night meeting I would like to provide the following written comment for tonight's council meeting concerning the marijuana issue as I am unable to attend in person. Thank you. Alene Lindstrand; Spokane County Planning Commissioner, 11305 E. Flagstone Lane, Spokane, WA 99206 509-869-7657 To Council Members and Mayor Grafos, The County Planning Commissioners recently considered and voted 4/2 to continue the County's Interim Zoning for 6 more months, what the Commissioners earlier approved. I was one of two "no" votes. It is disheartening and shocking that 4 of my fellow County Planning Commissioners apparently disregarded excellent, documented facts and testimony concerning the serious, dangerous, and unknown down line consequences of approving unlimited pot growing operations in the County by meeting a few not- that - strenuous requirements. I have to have a very strong background check to be able to volunteer with veterans and seniors. A background check with Olympia ' s Dept of Licensing is not any more strenuous for pot growing licensees. Hmmmm. I am asking you good folk on the Valley City Council to NOT cave to the pressures exerted by false arguments, such as: 1) "the people voted for marijuana and want lots of production and growing businesses." This ignores the will of slightly less than half the voters who voted AGAINST this issue. It was a poorly written initiative and misleading because many "yes" voters thought it was just about one's own growing and personal use...not true. It is about proliferation of a drug that does have very serious consequences for many. 2) "this is about jobs and business,therefore, good for the Valley." Anything that sells is a good thing? Is it only about $$$? I think we all know there are things that should not be allowed for sale, or at least, should be subject to strict requirements and zoning. 3) " Marijuana is harmless, safe." Documented facts show today's mj is 3 times stronger than 15 yrs ago. Such potency has put a number of kids in ER and some deaths have resulted. This is a very big deal...do not have preventable deaths on your hands. Check out the CDC website concerning mj. Check out facts supplied by SAM (Safe Alternatives to Marijuana), and Linda Thompson of Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council. This documentation is overwhelming to use extreme caution with pot issues. It is untested and unproven in the marketplace -- and now Colorado is finding huge down sides to the mj law they passed since consequences had not been properly evaluated, nor was it approached slowly or carefully, more like a free for all. Are any deaths worth this risk? There is a big difference between medical and recreational mj; they are not the same and those who are FOR personal mj use are doing their best to combine them into one argument as if it is equal to medical mj. Bad 1 idea. They must be kept separate and the most important argument of all? Kids and children need strong protection of laws for their developing brains and safety on the streets. There is no protection for children from those who have food, candy, and drink products containing mj (currently unregulated) in their homes "for personal use." Mj is a mind altering drug! If a parent allows a child access to alcohol in their home, has this not lead to alcoholism and early addiction? Yes, it has. How is mj, a mind altering drug and much more potent than ever, also not a bad thing for children to have in- home access to? This Council has been presented with these facts and many more. Keep personal and medical mj very separate concerns. Protect our children, our workforce, and educational environment. The County failed miserably at this, so please keep the Valley a haven from personal pot growing and production businesses. The County allows unlimited pot businesses-- please don't add to their mistake. Thank you. "( is the Samsun GAl AXY 5:i;.;.an A Ir 4G I I :sniargphone 2