West Richland is taking retail cannabis question to voters. Some residents are upset

West Richland voters will be asked in August for their opinion on allowing retail cannabis stores, but some residents feel the decision was made years ago and city leaders just need to end the debate for good.

Residents told the West Richland City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting that not only were they against it, but even asking for a vote sent the wrong message about their community.

No one spoke in favor of allowing “pot shops” within city limits.

Still, the council voted 6-1 to put the advisory vote on the Aug. 6 primary ballot. Councilman John Smart voted against it.

The measure will ask residents to advise the council on whether or not they should allow retail cannabis sales within city limits. An advisory vote is not legally binding, meaning the council does not have to adhere to the results.

The city also set up preliminary pro and con committees to write statements for the voters guide. Those named to the groups are Walter Tamosaitis, Nancy Aldrich and Ken Weaver for the “Pro Committee” and David Cole, Cindy Reents, and Dan Richey for the “Con Committee.”

Using Aberdeen as an example, city staff have estimated retail cannabis sales could bring in $67,000 to $101,000 a year plus state shared revenue of about $60,000 a year.

Smart opposed putting the vote on the ballot, saying he felt it was a waste of money on a matter the council should decide themselves.

Putting the measure on the ballot will cost the city $50,000 to $75,000, according to an estimate included in meeting materials.

Residents say ‘no’

The council heard at the meeting from about a dozen residents who have regularly attended meetings to oppose a proposal by businessman Ken Weaver to open a retail outlet in the city.

Last summer, Weaver, owner of Yakima-based cannabis store Slow Burn, submitted an environmental impact report to Washington state that would have opened the door for certain zoning changes to allow retail cannabis sales.

The city has had a provision on the books since 2014 banning legal cannabis retailers. Prior to that the city had a 1-year moratorium while the matter was being decided, the city’s attorney said.

David Cole urged the council to use stronger language on the ballot that makes it clear there is already regulation barring retail cannabis in the city. Ultimately the council decided not to make major changes to the language, just editing it for clarity.

Cole also hit back at criticism that those opposing the retail ban are “NIMBYs” and called Mayor Brent Gerry out for allegedly making comments along the lines of “these people are living in a fantasy world and should go back to the 1950s.”

NIMBY is an acronym for “not in my backyard” and commonly used to describe people who do not want perceived progress or changes in their neighborhoods.

Dan Richey hit back at claims that the people opposed are just “NIMBYs.”

He told the council that the vast majority of the people who come out to speak to them about the issue are against it and concerned for their community. He questioned why a community survey done by the city last year would carry more weight than that.

Richey also said that the younger people supposedly in favor of retail cannabis sales weren’t showing up and making their own voices heard.

Teri Davies said allowing retail cannabis would impact the health of their community.

“In regard to this issue, knowing that it’s an advisory vote, we do want to keep in the forefront that there are alarms about bringing a business like cannabis retail into our city, into our community,” she said. “We have warning signs that having cannabis retail sales in our community are not going to be beneficial or cost beneficial.”

She pointed to a Tuesday morning break-in at Green2Go in Pasco as a sign about the dangers of bringing such businesses to West Richland.

Owner Steve Lee told the Herald that thieves crashed a stolen car through the front doors of the business in an attempt to steal products. He believes it was a group of teenagers, and said they weren’t able to take much.

Jon Page agreed with Smart’s assertion that this vote is a waste of taxpayer money.

“I agree with council member Smart that the advisory vote is kind of a waste of money, you guys could have said no because it doesn’t fit with the vision we have for the community,” Page said. “While this is legal in the state of Washington, I don’t feel that it’s beneficial to our city. I don’t feel that this business is going to attract the businesses that we want to see in this community.”

Jennifer Page urged the council to listen to the concerns of the residents who had come to speak to them and keep in mind that they are not obligated to make changes to city code one way or the other in response to the advisory vote results.

“I am here to tell you, we still don’t want this in our city and I hope that when the time comes … when that ballot is certified and you are presented with the official results, you make the right choice and say we don’t want this in our city,” she said.

The city has until May 5 to approve any changes to the language of the ballot item for the August election. The 18-day voting period for that election begins July 19.

Last year Pasco changed its zoning to allow for up to three retail cannabis stores in the city limits. They’ve now been open for about six months, bringing the total number of Tri-Cities pot shops to five, including Nirvana just outside the West Richland city limits and Green2Go in Finley. There’s also one in Prosser.