Tacoma City Council Meeting for August 10, 2010
We know what you want to read – scroll to the very end to find a recap of comments about recent medical marijuana busts in Tacoma.
PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Mayor Marilyn Strickland acknowledged the 65th annual celebration of Korean Celebration Day and wished luck to the Washington-Tacoma Korean American Association in future years.
- Mayor Strickland proclaimed Sept. 3, 2010 as “College Colors Day” in Tacoma.
PUBLIC COMMENT
- One person spoke in support of Ordinance No. 27908.
- Dr. Scott Havsy commented on Purchase Resolution No. 38086, and said the City of Tacoma could find a much cheaper EMR reporting system like the one he uses for his patients.
REGULAR AGENDA
RESOLUTIONS
Purchase Resolution No. 38086 awards contracts to:
- Medusa Medical Technologies Inc., on its bid of $248,250.00, plus sales tax, budgeted from the EMS Special Revenue Fund, for a user software license and five-year maintenance agreement for a computerized electronic patient care reporting system for the Fire Department – Specification No. FD10-0225F;
- Howard S. Wright Constructors, LP, on its bid of $6,163,427.00, including sales tax, plus a 10 percent contingency, for a cumulative total of $6,779,769.70, budgeted from the Solid Waste 2001 Bond Construction Fund, for the construction of a new addition to, and remodeling of, the administration and shop building at the Tacoma Landfill – Specification No. PW10-0170F.
Resolution No. 38087 approved the sale of tax-exempt Regional Water Supply System Revenue Bonds, Series A, and Taxable Build America Bonds, Series B, in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000, to construct a portion of the Filtration Treatment Project for the Second Supply Project.
Resolution No. 38088 approved the sale of tax-exempt Water System Revenue and Refunding Bonds, Series A, and Taxable Build America Bonds, Series B, in the principal amount not to exceed $120,000,000, to finance or refinance costs for capital improvements to the water system and to refund or defease a portion of the Water System Revenue Bonds, 2001.
Deputy Mayor Jake Fey said this action is one good aspect of the recession, and will benefit the constituents.
Robert Hill came forward and asked the council to postpone the resolution.
Resolution No. 38089 proclaimed a day in October as “Play in Peace Day” and encouraging all citizens to join in this observance.
Councilwoman Lauren Walker said Play in Peace Day will be a march and party in Wright and McCarver Parks in honor of the memory of Zina Linnick. The resolution is before the council now to give planners time to invite First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27912 amended Title 13 of the Municipal Code, entitled “Land Use Regulatory Code,” to modify the enforcement, penalty provisions, and processes to better address violations of the Land Use Regulatory Code.
Ordinance No. 27913 amended Chapter 1.23 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Hearing Examiner, to give the Hearing Examiner jurisdiction over appeals from enforcement matters associated with the Land Use Regulatory Code.
FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27908 (Continued from the meeting of July 20, 2010) amended Chapter 2.01 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Minimum Building and Structures Code, to require notifications for substandard and derelict properties to be sent by first-class mail only and changing all penalty amounts to $250 per day.
CITIZENS’ FORUM
Tonight’s citizens’ forum focused on a recent raid at Tacoma Hemp Company. Read the News Tribune article here.
- Melissa Macourek spoke about the raid of her home, where she says she had less than the legal amount of medicinal marijuana. Macourek expressed concerned about the cost to taxpayers to repair the damage she says was unnecessarily inflicted upon her home in the raid. Read Macourek’s account of the incidents here and here
- Lawyer Jay Berneburg, spoke up about the need for an orderly way for medical marijuana to be dispensed. He expressed concern about medical marijuana patients having to buy “drugs from thugs,” and encouraged the council to look at regulation.
- Neil Candy of COBRA Medical Group suggested the city look at this from a regulatory perspective. “We would welcome regulation and taxation,” he said.
- Adam Assenberg traveled to Tacoma from Eastern Washington to describe his trials as a medical marijuana patient.
- Mary McDermott of Grammas for Ganja spoke against the raids. “This is not Nazi Germany,” she said. “This is Washington.”
- Don Skakie of Sensible Washington spoke against the raids as a waste of resources. He said grey areas of the medical marijuana law need to be addressed, but more importantly we need to redirect police resources.
- Robert Hill introduced himself as a member of Washington State’s unorganized militia “America’s Civil Defense Force,” and spoke about medical marijuana laws, ORCA, parking at the Rainiers games, problems with the county voters’ pamphlet, and expanding the council while cutting salaries by one-third.
- Four other people spoke up against the raids and in favor of regulated medical marijuana use.
Filed under: City Council, Legislation, City Government
24 comments
C Christine August 11, 2010
What? Oprah and Michelle Obama? Did Bobby Hill have anything to say about that?
N Norma August 11, 2010
Will someone please throw Mr. Hill in Western States Hospital and throw away the key. That clown Fs up even good causes. By the way, Tacoma and Exit133: Where’s the outrage over the bully-state tactics Tacoma PD used against a legal medical marijuana operation? Shame on you crackers.
J Jennifer Boutell August 11, 2010
Zina Linnick not Lina Zinnick.
Would like to have seen some editorial on the raids from someone in the local press/blogosphere. Tacomamama doesn’t seem like the right place.
R RR Anderson August 11, 2010
exit133 likes to pretend to be non-partisan and unbias3d. Which is unfortunate for everyone.
Looks like a job for The Tacomic™ !
C Cat Jeter August 11, 2010
Re:mainstream media, TNT is currently working on a medical MJ story. The reporter approached me last night after the council adjournment.
M mainstream media August 11, 2010
cat, you are not hoping for a positive article from msm are you?
R RR Anderson August 11, 2010
Dear TPD, stop empowering the Mexican drug lords.
Stop tormenting house pets.
It’s time to protect and serve our nice ladies suffering from brain tumor pain.
Shame on you.
It’s time to repeal prohibition.
T the Jinxmedic August 11, 2010
Whaaa…? duuuude….
T Tacoma Joe August 11, 2010
Has the billboard outrage already completely evaporated? Not a single person spoke against the council’s cowering to settle with Clear Channel… despite it being in the agreement that Clear Channel doesn’t even have to abide by the “agreement”? ! ? ! We’re pussies and we deserve what we get.
C crenshaw sepulveda August 11, 2010
Why does Mark Lindquist hate pussy?
S Slim Jim August 11, 2010
Now that’s gotta make you laugh. I’m sure the sign creators were the same who printed the “necrophelic cannibal” flier. Don’t be made at me, Pegster…
J J. Cote' August 11, 2010
Actually, what’s keeping the condo buyers away is reality. Not enough fools from SoCal that are willing to fork over 1/2 mil for a 2Br apt with no nearby groceries, no available parking and a view of a “waterway”/toxic waste dump site.
Even Californicaters have more brains than THAT.
Wait til they’ve figured out that the NW “tan” is not actually from the sun. It’s RUST.
L lostinlosangeles August 11, 2010
Oh I thought it would be fools from Seattle who would fork over 300k for a condo if it wasn’t facing a prolapsed anus of an estuary.
Silly SoCalers don’t even know how beautiful they would look if they moved to the NW, lost their tans and slowly began to turn into smegals under all that cloud cover and rain.
M Mofo from the Hood August 11, 2010
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS:
“Resolution No. 38089…The resolution is before the council now to give planners time to invite First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.”
Medical marijuana…Tacoma City Council…?
Why do you think they call it dope?
M Minnie August 11, 2010
Tacoma TMZ! In ex-council member news: Pierce County’s favorite lobbyist family, the Ladenburgs, were spotted at The Adriatic plotting Connie’s election-night party. As much as we know Connie has that position bought and paid for, I’m still hopeful that she’d not elected…
C captiveyak August 11, 2010
Time for a Freak Power option on the ballot in Tacoma, if only the ranks would not fill with grumpy twiddlers finding tyranny in every action of the government, and Armageddon every weekend. I’d volunteer to lead such an organism, but I don’t drink enough or offend The Man sufficiently.
C crenshaw sepulveda August 12, 2010
Daniel Blue had fangs but we pushed him away.
M melissa macourek August 12, 2010
Spoke with a TNT reporter who was polite shock who is writing something up she hopes to have in tomorrow’s paper.
I encouraged her to go ask the police chief about what he told the freelance reporter at the council meeting that the TPD is honoring federal laws, not state laws. Hope he has a good sound bite on that.
Encouraged her to contact some of the city council.
Hope she does the piece some justice.
C citizenx August 13, 2010
what a waste of tax money, t.p.d you need to focus on real crime period.
R RR Anderson August 13, 2010
it is more cost-effective for the City of Tacoma to compromise with real criminals (cough clearchannel)
M melissa August 14, 2010
I just read a piece in the TNT today that said the city of Tacoma is broke! That they can’t afford jurors. They may have to do layoffs. And yet, they are paying to chase down mmj patients and have them go in front of a jury (they can’t afford to pay) to say they had legal support to have medicine.
What a waste!
Hey, I wonder how much money they’d make if they taxed and regulated it?
T Tacoma Fan August 14, 2010
@ Melissa
Please provide a Link to back up your claims.
1) That the city is cutting jurors.
2) That it would be legal for the city to tax medicine.
F Flo August 15, 2010
@Tacoma Fan
I don’t think Melissa said the city was cutting jurors… she said the city was lacking funds to pay jurors, then in a separate thought said the city might conduct layoffs (of city staff, presumably, not jurors). She also didn’t say “tax medicine”, she simply referred to some marijuana use as medicinal, then (again in a separate statement) suggested taxing and regulating marijuana for increased funding to solve the first-mentioned problems.
I looked for that story in the TNT, too, but couldn’t find it… however; their “key-word search” has always been poor.
T Tacoma Fan August 16, 2010
@ Melissa ( and FLO)
I too searched TNT and could not find anything about jurors. I followed up with the City and was told none were being cut. If you re-read the article, it says a balanced budget can be achieved with/out layoffs.
So I was really confused by what you appeared to be stating as clear fact:
#25 “That they can’t afford jurors. They may have to do layoffs.”. . . “ in front of a jury (they can’t afford to pay) “
You prefaced with “ I read in the TNT”. I can’t find it, Please provide a link. The loss of jurors concerns me greatly.
If it was argumentative jump to jurors then it is faulty logic and bad blogging form.
Second point, I could have been more clear. You brought up the point the City could gain revenues from taxing MJ.
You present yourself as very informed on the federal and state laws around MJ. Please direct me information on how to go about convincing the City, or the State for that matter, to regulate and tax MJ.
It seems like you have moved a mountain of work in few short days. Kudos to you on that.