COMMITTEE: POT STILL A CRIME

The La Crosse Common Council's Committee of the Whole Tuesday voted against
changing a first-time marijuana conviction from a crime to a misdemeanor.

La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge John Perlich and four other judges had
requested an ordinance that would allow the option of making first-time
marijuana possession an ordinance violation instead of a crime.

Police Chief Ed Kondracki has disagreed with the change, saying that
decriminalizing possession would send the wrong message.

Assistant District Attorney Todd Bjerke spoke against the change at the
meeting. The current system gives officials a chance to educate first
offenders on the dangers of drug abuse, he said.

"It just seems like a way to save time and not get them the education they
need. You are just washing your hands of it."

"What kind of message do we want to send to our youth?" asked Police Sgt.
Roger Barnes of the DARE program, urging the committee to reject the
change. "It takes a village to raise a child. You are the leaders of the
village."

Downtown council member John Satory, who was one three members voting for
the change, said he was doing so out of respect for his late mother who
used marijuana to decrease her pain as she was dying from cancer.

On other matters, the committee:

Denied a request of Alamosa PCS to locate a cell tower on Hillview
Health Care Center, 3501 Linden Drive. As the site is in a residential
area, the request requires a conditional use permit, which involves
notification of neighbors and public hearings. Several neighbors have
objected to the tower.

La Crosse has nine cellular towers and has issued a permit for a 10th, all
in areas zoned industrial, where the city allows towers if they comply with
the city's height and setback requirements.

Voted to increase the cat license fee to equal the fee for dog licenses.

Under the new fee schedule, license fees for an unaltered dog or cat would
be $10, and the fee for a dog or cat that has been spayed or neutered would
be $5.

The committee also voted to add catteries to the ordinance on kennel fees.