Former Riverview Mayor Tim Durand urged the council to put the issue of recreational marijuana sales in the city to a vote of the residents, and said he didn’t want to see Fort Street littered with dispensaries during a public hearing held at the Dec. 19 City Council meeting.
Garbage vs. pot called ‘a different kind of odor’
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW – Following two public hearings, the City Council voted Dec. 19 to adopt an ordinance that would license recreational cannabis businesses in the city, subject to distance and zoning requirements.
Councilmembers Rita Gunaga, Chuck Norton, Sussie O’Neil and David Robbins voted for the measure, with Councilmember Dean Workman and Mayor Andrew Swift opposed. Councilmember Lynn Blanchett had an excused absence from the meeting.
Public hearing attendees voicing opposition spoke of recreational marijuana businesses’ impact on the city’s image, while others urged the council to put the decision to a vote of the residents.
Some attendees in favor of recreational marijuana businesses spoke of the need to increase the city’s commercial tax base, and to find new sources of city revenue in anticipation of the eventual closure of the city’s landfill.
With Fort Street considered a pass-through corridor for non-resident commuters, residents emphasized the pros and cons of pot shops, from revenue generation to the attraction of unwanted visitors.
A city official noted that marijuana revenue might replace one millage point of lost revenue from the city’s landfill when it eventually closes, but noted that it will not be able to compensate for the eventual loss of the landfill’s significant revenue stream.
Former Riverview City Councilmember Elmer Trombley voices his opposition to the recreational sale of marijuana in the city during a public hearing held at the Dec. 19 City Council meeting.
Former City Councilmember Elmer Trombley said pot shops lining Fort Street would destroy the image of Riverview, and insinuated that they could cause Riverview to become more like River Rouge or Ecorse.
Former City Councilmember Bill Towle said the council should consider why other local cities have opted out of recreational marijuana sales.
Resident Joe Fumich urged residents to “get out of the Flintstone era” while urging them to see the businesses as having the potential to increase the city’s tax base.
Former Mayor Tim Durand, who was unhappy that he was not offered a seat on the city’s ad hoc marijuana businesses committee, unsuccessfully urged the council to table the proposal and put it to a popular vote of the residents.
He said he did not want to see Fort Street “littered with dispensaries.”
Resident Brian Webb said that “garbage vs. pot” was just “a different kind of stink,” and said that the cannabis industry is “here to stay” and “ripe for the picking.”
Resident Darren Sensat said that early responders have a better chance of profiting from marijuana businesses, and noted that liquor sales and strip clubs are legal and profitable.
Kurt Bellino, who said he is a cannabis retailer, reminded listeners that the world is changing.
A senior citizen said that those on fixed incomes will not be able to afford tax increases once the landfill closes, and urged the council to continue to look for new revenue streams.
Following the passage of the ordinance, Workman expressed concern about the impact of cannabis businesses on the Police Department, and said residents voting to legalize marijuana in the state did not equate to a willingness to have recreational marijuana sold in city storefronts.