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Central Point council approves pot tax ballot proposal Measure will be alongside November vote on marijuana dispensary ban Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 13, 2016 at 11:17 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 13, 2016 at 11:17 AM » Social News CENTRAL POINT — City Council members Thursday approved a ballot proposal for a 3 percent tax on marijuana sales inside city limits as a vote on lifting a moratorium on medical and recreational dispensaries looms in November. On Jan. 11, the council approved a measure implementing a temporary moratorium on dispensaries and leaving the fate of the ban to voters. If voters approve the tax measure and overturn the moratorium this fall, Central Point will have a tax rate in place to help mitigate the impacts the businesses could bring, city officials said. The decision on the tax proposal, city administrator Chris Clayton said, put the final pieces in place to address marijuana sales. The city ruled last year that personal use and growth of marijuana plants must be done indoors. "Basically, if the prohibitions are passed, the tax is a moot point, because there's nothing to tax," Clayton said. "But if the bans go down, then the tax is in place if something were to come into town. We'll have clear direction from our citizens after November, no matter what," he said. Councilor Rick Samuelson said he favored having citizens decide as often as possible on important issues. "Any time the citizens of a city can decide on the direction of their city, it is a great thing," he said. "Unless an immediate decision is required, I like when citizen guidance can be included." Councilor Taneea Browning said the lack of public input at recent meetings was an indicator that constituents were pleased with the council's efforts. "We're giving them the vote so there's no fuzziness or confusion about the direction that we take. Voters can basically say, 'Yes, this is what we want,' or, 'No, this is not.' Other cities seem to be having more debate about the issue than we have, but honestly I think we — as a city and due in large part to our city manager — have great overall connectivity to our citizens," Browning said. "I think we really have a pretty good idea of what our constituents want and or feel, and that is the right to decide. Taking that away from them would cause controversy because we can't act like we know what they want when we don't," she said. Clayton said a tax plan is necessary because of the effects dispensaries could have on the city. "For the first two years, whatever the state collects is distributed based on population. After two years, the Legislature has suggested that cities without dispensaries would not receive funding from taxes collected," he said. "It doesn't make sense to me because even if we don't have a dispensary and Medford does, I think it's easy to argue there are still going to be public safety impacts here." Clayton said the city would have gone to voters for approval of the tax whether state legislators required voter approval or not. "It's never a bad idea to let voters decide on an important issue in their town," Clayton said. Reach Medford freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected]. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 13, 2016 at 11:17 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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