A jar of marijuana buds is seen at the Stoney Moose, a Ketchikan retail cannabis shop. (KRBD file photo by Leila Kheiry)
The Ketchikan City Council will consider two motions on Thursday that would designate the city’s 5-percent special sales tax on marijuana for homeless services.
The first motion is an ordinance establishing a separate fund for marijuana tax proceeds. That ordinance will require two readings, so if it passes on Thursday it will come back for a second vote. Currently, pot tax revenue goes directly into the general fund.
The second motion is a resolution amending this year’s budget by adding marijuana tax proceeds to the city’s community agency grant program appropriations.
The council voted during its last meeting to increase funding for homeless services in the city. Council members also said they wanted to fund that service through marijuana tax revenue.
Also on Thursday, the council will vote on a proposed motion to halt efforts to sell Ketchikan Public Utilities Telecommunications Division. The city hired Falkenberg Capital Corp. in 2008 to help sell that arm of KPU. Over the past decade, though, no potential buyer has been found.
In a memo to the council, City Manager Karl Amylon writes that it’s time to terminate that effort and instead focus on strengthening KPU Telecom.
In other matters, the city will hear from Moffatt and Nichols representatives on plans to reconfigure the uplands portion of the downtown dock to accommodate larger numbers of tourists expected in the next few years.
Thursday’s council meeting starts at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers. Public comment will be heard at the start of the meeting.
