HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/08/2013 Study Session 469
YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION
October 8 2013
City Hall -- Council Chambers
10 a.m. Study Session regarding 1) Panhandling and Homelessness 2) Marijuana Regulations
and Requirements 3) Discussion on 1 -522 -- MINUTES
1. Roll Call
Council: Mayor Micah Cawley, presiding, Assistant Mayor Maureen Adkison, Council Members
Sara Bristol, Kathy Coffey, Rick Ensey, Dave Ettl and Bill Lover
Staff: City Manager O'Rourke and City Clerk Claar Tee
2. Information regarding Homelessness
Mayor Cawley stated they were all there to discuss homelessness in Yakima and asked Rick
Phillips, with the Union Gospel Mission, to start the conversation.
Mr. Phillips stated the Union Gospel Mission has been in Yakima for about 77 years. They
started with a union of churches joined together to provide the gospel in times of need, targeting
the poverty- stricken in Yakima. Mr. Phillips believes they should focus on those that are really
struggling. Many are single women, with no children and are not drug addicted or a minority, so
they do not qualify for assistance.
Pastor Dave Hanson, Executive Director of Sunrise Outreach, stated they are a Christian based
non - profit community organization, which started about five years ago. They focus on basic
needs -- housing the homeless and feeding the hungry. Their strategy is to help the community
see the problem.
Joe Willis, Executive Director of Rod's House, stated they work with homeless kids ages 14 -21.
Their focus is to help kids move forward. They work on skills for youth, getting kids back to
school, assisting them with finding jobs and helping to coach them along the way. He noted they
assist 15 -30 homeless youth a day, feed them a hot meal, provide laundry facilities and try to
help them move forward.
Erin Black is with the YWCA, which has been in our community since 1909. Their role
is always evolving and ever- changing. They provide emergency housing, particularly in domestic
violence situations, but also for substance abuse and poverty issues. They have been
successful in partnering with other agencies, which creates a higher impact. Ms. Black is also
the Chair of the Homeless Network of Yakima, which represents over 40 agencies in our valley.
Beth Danhardt, with Triumph Treatment Center, which has been around since 1961 and slowly
grown as an outpatient treatment center, stated they have developed specialized programs for
women and children and are the 3rd largest provider in the state. One of their biggest areas of
impact is on pregnant and parenting programs. Additionally, they offer various housing options,
mostly for people in recovery, some for families and individuals. They started a housing
program for individuals living in alleys, which houses seven people. It is not a clean and sober
house; however, they can only drink in their bedrooms. Triumph Treatment Center handles the
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whole continuum from drug users to clean and sober. Ms. Danhardt agreed it is a very complex
issue.
Mayor Cawley asked whether people are using the services over and over and not making an
effort for themselves.
Mr. Phillips responded that they have over 150 men in the system, and over 80% of the men
were able to find work in the fields. However, often they can't find consistent work and
without family support, it is a tough situation. He added that a lot of people don't want to be
"tagged" as one of those people" and yet they need some services.
Council Member Coffey mentioned that when she went on a ride -a -long with a Police Officer,
she noticed a majority of the calls were drunk and disorderly or were about mental health
issues. Council Member Ettl asked how far should government be involved?
Mr. Phillips responded that they are far from the problems that Detroit is experiencing. In the
1990's they helped 2500 individuals in a year. In 2000, they were down to about 2000 and
currently they are down to 1270; however, this will jump up in the winter. With all the efforts
being put forward, he feels they are making progress. He stated he doesn't see the City
government involved in providing homeless care, and suggests we let it take place in the
community and support those agencies that are doing it. Look at practical ways of assisting,
such as utility bills or dump fees, which will allow citizens to do more for themselves. He
believes we have a very generous caring community.
Council Member Coffey stated she has enjoyed learning more about this topic and suggested
meeting in smaller committees to have more discussion.
3. Discussion regarding recreational marijuana
City Manager O'Rourke stated due to the passing of 1 -502, coupled with the proposed adoption
of the law, the City needs to review our current code. Since the use of marijuana is still
prohibited by Federal Law, this is potentially a huge problem and the City needs to decide how
to move forward since there is a grey area in the zoning ordinance.
Assistant City Attorney Kunkler stated there are three general options which are: 1) stay the
course and maintain status quo; 2) amend the current code to ban production, processing and
retailing of recreational marijuana; and 3) develop and adopt land use (zoning) controls for
production, processing and retailing of recreational marijuana and /or medical marijuana. The
Attorney General's decision on August 29 was a watershed for many cities. If the City takes a
"just say no" option, he believes there is significant risk of litigation.
Council Member Lover asked whether it could be regulated to only sell it in places where they
sell liquor. Mr. Kunkler feels that may not be appropriate but can answer with further research.
After further Council discussion,
Ensey moved and Lover seconded to maintain the "Status Quo" on this issue. The motion
failed by a 4 -3 roll call vote with Cawley, Adkison, Bristol and Coffey voting no.
Cawley moved and Bristol seconded to enact a 6 month emergency moratorium to allow
time to regulate retailing of recreational marijuana. The motion carried by a 4 -3 roll call
vote with Ensey, Ett1 and Lover voting no; however, because the vote was not unanimous,
this motion fails.
Cawley moved and Bristol seconded to enact a 6 month moratorium to allow time to
regulate retailing of recreational marijuana. The motion carried by a 4 -3 roll call vote with
Ensey, Ett1 and Lover voting no. This is not an emergency but will be in effect 30 days after the
ordinance publication date.
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Assistant City Attorney Kunkler stated they will have a public hearing on the moratorium at the
November 5, 2013 Council Business meeting.
4. Discussion regarding "No on 1 -522"
Council Member Lover withdrew his request on this issue after reading the Council policy on
political initiatives.
5. Adjournment
Ensey move and Adkison seconded to adjourn. The motion carried by a unanimous voice
vote. The meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m. to the next Council Business meeting on October 15,
2013 at 6 p.m.
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