URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n494/a04.html
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Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 21 Jul 2016
Source: Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA)
Copyright: 2016 Appeal-Democrat
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Website: http://www.appeal-democrat.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1343
Author: Kirk Barron
MARYSVILLE COUNCIL PASSES SLEW OF MARIJUANA RESOLUTIONS
The Marysville City Council unanimously passed a slate of marijuana-related resolutions in preparation for the opening of the application period for two medical marijuana dispensary licenses.
The council approved changes to its fee schedule, adopted selection criteria for dispensary licenses, and passed a cannabis business tax and a resolution submitting the tax measure for the Nov. 8 ballot at Tuesday’s meeting.
The application period for Marysville’s two medical marijuana dispensary licenses opens Monday, and the city is holding an informational meeting from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. The application period will be open for 30 days, City Manager Walter Munchheimer said during the meeting.
The updated fee schedule includes medical marijuana dispensary permit fees set only to recover the city’s costs in processing license applications, according to the staff report.
Marysville’s dispensary permit process has four phases, starting with $3,706 for phase one, $1,047 for phase two, $2,144 for phase three and $3,576 for phase four. The application process also includes a $83 Live Scan fee and a $221 zoning verification letter.
During phase two and three of the application process, the city will use guidelines adopted Tuesday, which councilman Bill Simmons said were “rigorous” and “arduous.”
The evaluation and scoring criteria in phase two looks at the proposed dispensary’s business plan, neighborhood compatibility plan, safety and security plan, and its proposed location. Phase three looks at the business’ community benefits plan, neighborhood compatibility plan, qualifications of principals and several other weighted critera.
In response to the passage of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act in 2015, which allows cities significant freedom for regulating the industry, the council adopted a cannabis business tax which will start at 5 percent and is capped at 15 percent. A $15 per square foot of canopy space cultivation tax is recommended in the ordinance with a cap of $25.
Because the cannabis business tax would be a new tax, it must be approved by voters to comply with Proposition 218. As such, the council also approved a resolution submitting the tax as a ballot measure in the Nov. 8 general election.
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom