FORT BRAGG — The Fort Bragg City Council meeting Tuesday evening focused mainly on the appeal of a Planning Commission decision for a commercial cannabis store on N. Franklin Street, and further information about the Winter Shelter location.
The beginning of the meeting was dedicated to welcoming new staff to the city, including Heather Gurewitz as an Associate Planner, George Leinen as the new Police Services Transporter, Max Sallas as a Maintenance Worker II, and John Smelser as a Part-Time Laborer. The mayor also read a proclamation on behalf of the city, declaring February as Black History Month in the City of Fort Bragg.
Mayor Bernie Norvell made a short report on the meeting the city held with local business owners and community members in the downtown area, which would have been affected by moving the Winter Shelter to the Town Hall gymnasium.
The shelter will continue to be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church until March 15, and the Caspar Shul has tentatively agreed to take on the shelter during the last two weeks of March.
We may not have to host the shelter downtown, which I think we were all prepared to do,” Mayor Norvell said, “but we may not have to.”
The councilors also heard a short presentation by Diann Simmons of the Economic Development & Financing Corporation, regarding the organization’s finances for the fiscal year 2019-2020.
Council denies appeal of proposed downtown cannabis storefront
Local businesswoman Brandy Moulton’s request to establish a cannabis microbusiness at N. Franklin Street was denied by the Fort Bragg Planning Commission in late December. She took her case before the city council Monday evening, but did not come away successful.
The Planning Commission voted 3-0 to deny, on the basis that it required unpermitted growing or processing in the downtown business district, and also that the main use of the site was not retail.
Moulton made her appeal to the council Monday, and said that her dispensary business was already thriving — moving into the N. Franklin Street location would simply be a change of location, and not an entirely new, untried business coming into the city.
Gurewitz, with the city of Fort Bragg, said that the proposed storefront would also include a manufacturing and processing site and a small residential building on-site.
Public comment on the matter was varied. Michelle Roberts was the Planning Commission that made the motion to deny Moulton’s use permit; she spoke at the appeal and said she was still against Moulton’s proposal, per the city’s accessory use requirements.
Jen Brown spoke supportively of Moulton, “I don’t see any red flags or concerns here with them being in the city and trying to be more acceptable to the community, and offering another form of people getting their medicine,” Brown said. “I think that it’s a great idea.”
City Clerk June Lemos also read out several comments, both in favor or and against Moulton’s proposed business.
Vice Mayor Jessica Morsell-Haye had recused herself from the discussion (as she owns a nearby business to the proposed location). And as the council is also short one seat with former mayor Will Lee gone, the council had to vote unanimously to overturn the Planning Commission’s decision to deny.
They did not.
The first motion was put on the table by Councilor Lindy Peters, to uphold Moulton’s appeal and overturn the Planning Commission’s denial. Mayor Norvell seconded, but with Councilor Tess Albin Smith’s nay vote, the motion failed.
Albin-Smith then moved to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission’s decision, and Peters seconded simply to get the vote on the table, but this time, Mayor Norvell voted against. No resolution was come to, so the Planning Commission’s denial stands.
Water rate increases delayed, no set date
In regular business, the council discussed the wastewater rate increase, which was scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, but was already delayed once.
The increase would generate an additional $75,000 for the city’s Water department and $49,000 for wastewater enterprise, for quarters three and four of fiscal year 2020-2021. The new rates would increase customers’ water bill by 5 percent and Wastewater by 3 percent.
There was a drastic drop in commercial demand due to the Coronavirus in April through June of 2020, reported city staff, which led to a budget shortfall of $102,000.
In lieu of water rate increases during the Coronavirus, which city staff said it has tried to avoid, it was reported they have instead “avoided shutting off water service” for non-payment; waived late charges and interest for past due water and wastewater bills from April through September of 2020; offered interest-free, flexible payment plans for customers with delinquent accounts stemming from hardships; and city staff reported they are pursuing grants to assist customers with delinquent accounts.
The council voted unanimously to delay the water rate increases until the utility rate study is completed, likely sometime after March.
For items 8A and 8B, which Mayor Norvell brought forward last, the council voted unanimously to approve both. Item 8A dealt with approving contract amendment with Metropolitan Planning Group, for adjunct planning services not to exceed $46,100; and in Item 8B, the council approved a professional services agreement with Fehr & Peers for a Transportation Impact Assessment around the Dollar General project, for no more than $49,900.
The next city council meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8, via a virtual web host. For more information, visit the city’s website at city.fortbragg.com.