3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
Cannon Beach to seek $102,000 for emergency materials
working with the emergency
responders, including ham
radio groups and community
emergency response teams;
and local community organi-
zations as well as businesses.
The guides would “allow
By NANCY McCARTHY
someone to understand how to
For The Daily Astorian
run a command center better
CANNON BEACH — If or allocate resources,” Kucera
Cannon Beach receives the said. “Anyone could pick up
$102,000 state homeland a guide and understand their
security grant the city is ap- role in this event.”
The remaining $72,000 of
plying for, communication
during emergencies may be the grant would provide equip-
ment, including a generator
improved.
The grant application will for the emergency command
be part of an overall grant be- center, which would be based
ing sought by Clatsop County. DWWKH¿UHVWDWLRQRUWKHSXEOLF
During a Cannon Beach works building; hand-held ra-
City Council meeting last dio sets for response staff; and
week, the council unanimous- a military-style tent to act as a
ly approved City Manager temporary command center.
In other business, the coun-
Brant Kucera’s request to ap-
cil:
ply for the funds.
• Removed from the agen-
About $30,000 would go
toward developing three dif- da a planned public hearing on
IHUHQW ¿HOG RSHUDWLQJ JXLGHV a proposal by Jeffery Nichol-
for the city staff; volunteers son for a four-unit planned
Grant could
fund emergency
equipment
‘Anyone could pick up a
guide and understand their
role in this event.’
Brant Kucera
city manager, on emergency field guides
development at 532 N. Laurel
St. The hearing was postponed
because the city Planning
Commission has not complet-
ed its hearing on the matter
and will take it up again at 6
p.m. Jan. 28.
• Approved revised leases
for the Cannon Beach Library
and the Tolovana Arts Colony.
Although Kucera proposed
that the library’s original
99-year-lease on city property,
due to end in 2070, be changed
to end in 2026, library board
members protested.
Library Treasurer Phyllis
Bernt said a lease with only 10
more years left would prevent
library board members from
making long-range plans,
would reduce the library’s
sense of security in its location
and could jeopardize a public/
private partnership between
the city and the library that has
been working well.
The council agreed to a
compromise that would con-
tinue the 99-year lease but
would require the library
board to comply with updated
insurance requirements. The
board also would be required
to allow an evaluation of the
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The Tolovana Arts Colo-
ny’s lease with the city ends
in 2020. Its lease also was
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Sales tax not stopping Oregon pot shoppers
By NOELLE CROMBIE
The Oregonian
PORTLAND — Ore-
gon’s recreational marijua-
na consumers, at least those
who opt to shop in dispen-
saries, seem to be taking a
new state sales tax in stride,
many dispensary owners
say.
On Jan. 1, after a three-
month tax holiday, Oregon
imposed a 25 percent sales
tax on recreational mari-
juana sales. The tax will
eventually be replaced with
a 17 percent state tax once
the Oregon Liquor Control
Commission assumes con-
trol over recreational mar-
ijuana sales later this year.
Matt Price, who owns a
chain of dispensaries called
Cannabliss, said some cus-
tomers have shrugged off
the tax. “And then,” he said,
“we have people that say
they would rather go back to
their ‘guy,’ so to speak, and
walk out.”
At Glisan Buds and Fos-
ter Buds, general manager
Nathan Krytenberg took
the radical step of absorb-
ing the tax. Krytenberg is
betting on his “strategic de-
cision” to generate enough
additional sales to cover the
added cost.
He also hopes the ges-
ture builds customer loyalty
in a city where more than
100 shops compete not just
with each other but with the
well-established black mar-
ket. The company spread
its message on social media
and lets customers know
about it when they come
through the doors.
“To be quite honest with
you, if we even take a small
hit, I believe the fact that we
are doing this will put us in
a better market position,”
said Krytenberg, whose
shops sell marijuana for $9
and $15 a gram.
Cheaper prices
Oregon’s marijuana en-
thusiasts have historically
enjoyed some of the cheap-
est prices, particularly when
compared with Colorado
and Washington state, both
home to taxed and regulated
marijuana markets.
Yet even in Portland,
where dispensaries routine-
ly compete for recreational
dollars by slashing prices on
flowers, the move at Glisan
Buds and Foster Buds raised
eyebrows among other in
the industry.
“If you can do it and
make any kind of profit,
God bless you,” said Sam
Heywood, an owner of Far-
ma, a dispensary on South-
east Hawthorne Boulevard
where a sign at the entrance
reminds customers about
the sales tax. “It’s aggres-
sive. Is it sustainable? I
don’t know.”
Officials with the state
Department of Revenue, the
agency charged with col-
lecting the new sales tax,
said shops are free to absorb
the tax or spread it among
the grower, shop and con-
sumer. Ultimately, the agen-
cy’s chief interest is ensur-
ing the tax is paid in full.
“We have no authori-
ty over pricing,” said Julia
Dodson, a spokeswoman for
the agency. “Dispensaries
can charge whatever they
decide.”
The agency won’t begin
collecting the tax until Feb-
ruary. On Friday, officials
said only about half of dis-
pensaries selling recreation-
al marijuana have registered
with the Department of Rev-
enue, a state requirement.
Share burden
with growers?
At Cannadaddy’s, a dis-
pensary in outer southeast
Portland, owner Brad Zus-
man said he’s asked the can-
nabis growers who supply
his store about the possibili-
ty of sharing some of the tax
burden, but the idea hasn’t
gone anywhere.
He’s not keen on absorb-
ing the tax on his own since
it would represent a major
chunk of profits; his store
on one day alone this week
generated $1,400 in sales
taxes, he said.
While he’s determined to
attract recreational consum-
ers, Zusman said he’s redou-
bled his focus on medical
marijuana patients, offering
bargain-basement prices on
popular concentrates.
Recreational shoppers at
his store spend, on average,
$38 to $45 per transaction,
compared with $100 to $110
among medical marijuana
patients who don’t pay any
tax, he said.
Medical marijuana pa-
tients can also purchase
pricier concentrates and ed-
ibles — sought-after prod-
ucts that remain off limits
to recreational shoppers for
now.
“It’s really hard for any
dispensary to survive just
on recreational sales,” he
said.
“Moderation is the key,”
said Siebert-Wahrmund, who
added that it still would not
be legal for children to use
marijuana. She noted that 63
percent of the community’s
voters approved marijuana’s
legalization.
“I don’t feel that having a
shop in town would stop tour-
ists from coming here,” Sie-
bert-Wahrmund said.
• Heard praise of the city’s
public works and planning
departments from Bruce Fran-
cis, manager of the Breakers
Point condominiums. When
enormous swells on the Eco-
la estuary caused deep under-
cutting of the bank adjacent
to one of the condominium
buildings, Francis said the
city staff responded within 24
hours to shore up the building
and also prevent a 2-inch gas
main from bursting.
“We are very indebted to
the prompt action by the city
staff,” Francis said.
quirements to increase insur-
ance coverage.
• Heard comments about
the council’s ongoing consid-
eration about whether mari-
juana dispensaries will be al-
lowed in Cannon Beach.
Local resident Marlene
Laws said she had collected
156 signatures of those who
don’t want a marijuana shop in
town. David Robinson, pastor
of Cannon Beach Community
Church, told the council that
the commercial sale of mari-
juana would discourage young
families from moving to town
and would adversely impact
tourism. Business owners
would have to worry about
employees using marijuana,
and there could be more im-
paired drivers, Robinson said.
However,
Jan
Sie-
bert-Wahrmund said the pub-
lic has been “misled” about
marijuana and that the drug
suffers a double standard
when compared to alcohol.
County accepting applications
for Planning Commission
development, housing, farm
and forest lands and coastal
zones.
It makes land use deci-
sions on variances, condi-
tional uses and subdivisions.
In addition, the commis-
sion makes recommenda-
tions to the Board of Com-
missioners on amendments
to the comprehensive plan
and implementing ordinanc-
es.
The open position is for
a vacant term ending June
2018.
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County is seeking
applications for an open seat
on its Planning Commission.
The Planning Commis-
sion meets at 10 a.m. on
the second Tuesday of each
month in Astoria.
The commission is the
county’s committee for cit-
izen involvement on devel-
opment and land use issues,
such as zoning, natural
resources,
transportation,
natural hazards, economic
G u ess w h a t d a y it is!
It’s Hump’s Day!!!
AT HUMP’S RESTAURANT
EV ERY W ED N ESD AY 4 -8 PM
No reservations, please
14 OUN CE N EW Y ORK
STEAK & BAK ED POTATO
$9.95
M ust present coupon to server.
N ot va lid w ith other offers.
All You Can Eat Chicken & Dumplings- Thursdays 4-8 pm $6.95
Prime Rib Fridays- starts at 5pm $9.95
Just 15 m in. from the Lew is & Cla rk Bridge on H w y. 30
Hump’s Restaurant- 50 W. Columbia River Highway
Clatskanie, OR. 503.728.2626
N OW O PEN
Frida y & Sa turda y
6a m -10pm
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Just a shout out to the memory of
Dennis McCarthy who left us 10 years
ago, too soon, He was liked and loved
by many of us and is still missed.
May 8, 1946 - January 12, 2006
a Cappella
SE ASID E
Festival
6:00 PM FRIDAY
JAN UARY 15
SE ASID E CO NVE NTIO N CE NTE R
w w w .sea sid ea ca p p ella festiva l.co m
a n n ua l
Show
Q CE D
Spon sored by the
Q ua rtet Ch a m pion s
of th e E vergreen
D istrict (Q CE D )
GEN ERAL RULES AN D IN FO RM ATIO N
Com petin g a ca ppella grou ps m u st
con sist of a t lea st 3 m em bers; a ll
fem a le, a ll m a le, or m ixed grou ps
w elcom ed . There a re tw o
com petition a ge bra ck ets, w ith
sepa ra te prizes for ea ch
6:00 PM
SATU RDAY
JAN U ARY 16
SE ASID E CO N VE N TIO N
CE N TE R
G rou ps perform in g a re:
W in n ers fro m Frid a y n ig ht’s a Ca p p ella Festiva l
Pa st Q ua rtet Cha m pions tha t w ill be perform ing a re:
4.0 Q u a rtet • Q u a d ra phon ics • The N ew O rigin a ls
F a st Tra ck • F lipsid e • O ver Tim e
You can get tickets at: sea sid ea ca p p ella festiva l.co m
o r a t the d o o r, o r b y ca llin g (503) 836-3489
Video