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Home My WebLink About02/28/2014 02 Legislative Issues DiscussionITEM TITLE: SUBMITTED BY: SUMMARY EXPLANATION: See attached. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. For Meeting of: 2/28/2014 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Discussion regarding legislative issues Tony O'Rourke, City Manager Resolution: Ordinance: Other (Specify): Contract: Contract Term: Start Date: End Date: Item Budgeted: Amount: Funding Source/Fiscal Impact: Strategic Priority: Insurance Required? No Mail to: Phone: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description ❑ legislative City Manager Upload Date 2/2.7/2014 Type Cover Memo O'Rourke, Tony From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: Council members, O'Rourke, Tony Wednesday, February 26, 2014 5:11 PM Ettl, Dave; Cawley, Micah; Coffey, Kathy; Lover, Bill; Ensey, Rick; Adkison, Maureen; Dittmar, Tom Mayor Signature on AWC Letter AWC Letter.pdf Last week the City's Olympia lobbyist, Jim Justin, asked if the City of Yakima would be interested in joining a Targe group of cities placing the signatures of their mayors on a letter (see attached letter) to the leaders of the State Legislature requesting legislators ensure that cities receive a portion of revenue that will be generated from the sale of recreational marijuana. Such revenue would be used by cities for law enforcement purposes to ensure the drug is not sold to minors, remains free of criminal enterprises, and that drivers under the influence of marijuana are arrested. City staff believed the position being presented in the AWC letter was consistent with the position taken by the City Council during discussions earlier this year regarding legislation related to retail marijuana. Mayor Cawley did not consent to putting his signature on the AWC letter. Instead, an assumption was made by City staff that the direction given by the Council during discussions earlier this year about legislation regarding retail marijuana included making the City's position known to the legislature through whatever means up to and including testifying before the legislature. In hindsight, that was a false assumption. We apologize for not having more thoroughly considered clearing the placement of the mayor's signature on the AWC letter with the full Council, not to mention the mayor himself. The decision to add the mayor's signature was made too hastily in the face of the narrow time frame to respond that AWC provided. A special meeting of the Council has been called for Friday morning at 9:30 to allow the Council the opportunity to provide direction to City staff regarding this issue. Developing a process that allows City staff and Jim Justin to have the ability to react in a timely manner to fast - changing developments during a legislative session remains a work in progress. Again, we regret not having done a good enough job communicating with you all about the AWC letter and ask for your patience as we continue to refine the process that will allow the City to be as effective as possible in Olympia. Please let me know if you have any questions about this issue. Tony 1 • 1076 Franllrr treet ° O17 p1 , " A 11 346 0, 140.:75,341.37 *-1.800,562.89811. February 24, 2014 The Honorable Jay Inslee Governor The Honorable Rodney Tom Senate Majority Leader The Honorable Mark Schoesler Senate Republican Leader The Honorable Sharon Nelson Senate Democratic Leader The Honorable Andy Hill Ways & Means Chair The Honorable Speaker of the The Honorable House Majority The Honorable House Minority The Honorable Appropriations Frank Chopp House of Representatives Pat Sullivan Leader Dan Kristiansen Leader Ross Hunter Chair Subject: Mayors call on state to provide marijuana legalization enforcement and public safety protections Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders: As mayors from across Washington State, we are asking that the state partner with cities and towns to meet the commitment to provide local communities with strong regulation, law enforcement and public safety protections expected by citizens when voters legalized marijuana. Of the eight mandates for legalized marijuana from the federal government, five fall to local jurisdictions and local law enforcement. Washington voters supported marijuana legalization with the assurance that government would implement robust oversight and enforcement. The state needs to meet these commitments to make the new marijuana laws work. To do so the state and cities must work in cooperation. The majority of marijuana sales and use will occur in our jurisdictions. This makes us responsible for overseeing permitting, code enforcement, ensuring money and drugs stay out of criminal hands, preventing distribution to minors, and addressing drugged driving and other adverse public health consequences. If the state is relying on local cities to enforce new marijuana laws, it needs to provide some of the new marijuana tax revenues to pay for it — this is a matter of common sense and fairness. It is estimated legalizing marijuana will give the state significant new annual tax revenue. We're asking for a portion of those revenues. Communities are already feeling the impacts of legalized marijuana, even before retail operations open this summer which will dramatically expand access. The state has only 69 liquor enforcement officers and they will only focus on licensing. All other oversight and enforcement falls to local governments. Cities can't accommodate the increased needs created by legalization of marijuana without funding. We can't wait, this is already having an impact and will only increase in the next few months as businesses start-up operations. Washington voters took a leap of faith and approved marijuana legalization. We have to work together if this initiative is to be implemented successfully. We have a history of partnership working together to meet the needs of our communities and state. Let's build on this track record of success going forward. We ask that the legislature take action now, before the 2014 session ends, to share marijuana revenue with cities. Sincerely, -DR 0 Patrick Rushing Mayor, Airway Heights Einar Larson Mayor, Almira Barb Tolbert Mayor) Arlington Patty Mayor,-merton Pat Johnson (-- Mayor, Buckley Vicki Bonfield Mayor, Asotin Shane Bowman Mayor, Battle Ground udia Balducci Mayor, Bellevue Kellu L1nville Mayor, Bellingham Betty Barnes Mayor, Bingen Authorized, no signature available Dave Gordon Mayor, Black Diamond JF�. Scott Hggins Mayor, Camas an Whitmore Mayor, Carbonado /,f�i Mf ii °/ Dennis Dawes Mayor, Chehalis Tom "'Tru love Mayor, Cheney Dorothy Kn uss Mayor, Chewelah Todd Vanek Mayor, Colfax Jason Miller Mayor, Concrete 0 ', puce Blackwell Mayor, Connell Harto Mayor, Covington Craig Gore Mayor, Dayton Dave Kaplan Mayor, Des Moines ve acts g Mayor, Edmonds Liz Reynolds Mayor, Enumclaw eith Vradenburg Mayor, Entiat Ray r-phan n Mayo , Everett Authorized, no signature available James Woomack Mayor, Farmington Glenn Hull Mayor, Fife Bryon Monohon Mayor, Forks it _tel !Q 0,..49 .49 �? Linda Loen Mayor, Gold Bar Ike Cassinelli Mayor, Ilwaco Fred Butler Mayor, Issaquah PA- Davi.,,; utcher Kels ker Mayor, Kenmore uze`' Cooke May • „ Kent Any Welen Mayor, Kirkland Andy Ryder Mayor, Lacey s Mayor, Lake Forest Park Vern Litfle or„ Lake Stevens Don Jensen Mayor, Longvie Debra Heinzman Mayor, Lyman fusyy,11-1 Nicola Smith Mayor, Lynnwood Marin Martinez Mayor, Mabton J'Cir Nehring Mayor, Marysv avid Ferguson Mayor, Mesa n Estes Mayor, Mojtesano ry Smith. Mayor, Mountlake Terrace nifer Grcge on yor, Mukilteo e2vata.f T tinafen. Crystal Dingler Mayor, Ocean Shores Doug PI ski Mayor, Odessa. Jon Culp Mayor, Okanogan Ste r 1 Bu�fbaum Mayor, Olympia :,_( Mi hael Exhanove Mayor, Palouse Matt Watkins Mayor, Pasco avi- Z,,, G. Paul Miller Mayor, Pomeroy :7��t -.t�Gf��/y Timothy Ma4hes Mayor, Port Orchard 6,41 h a. Paul Warden Mayor, Prosser n John Mayor, Pullt n Knutsen ayor, Puyallup Hemberry ayor, Quincy Rani )/ Sc" . Mayor, Rainier re±7_9V-iciV Robert Jungar or, Raymond archtohe or, Redmond Denis Law Mayor, Renton Ron Onslow Mayor, Ridgefield Tom Vance Mayor, Sammamish Candace Pratt Mayor, Sequim Larson ayor, Snoqualmie David Condon Mayor, Spokane Leonard Kelley Mayor, Stanwood Mayor, Steilacoom es A. Restucci ayor, Sunnyside y Mayor, Tacoma Stanley Hall Mayor, Tieton Loren Belton Mayor, Toppenish rte e -A's Pete Kmet Mayor, Tumwater Soo Ing -Moody Mayor, Twisp Royer Wentz Mayor, Union Gap Authorized, no signature available Denise McCluskey Mayor, Univ ,rsityPace im Le v Mayor, Vancouver S qua Mayor, Washougal Brent Ger.. Mayor, West Richland Mayor, White Salmon Grover Lasek Mayor, Woodland 'int R Ca. -0 Micah Cawley Mayor, Yakima