COUNCIL HIKES FEE FOR POT LICENSES

The hot topic, however, is Lake Minnequa Park funding.

The cost of licensing a medical marijuana business in Pueblo nearly
doubled as City Council unanimously raised the price to more than
$6,000 Monday night.

Without any discussion, council accepted a recommendation from the
city's legal department that the licensing fee be increased by $2,597
per license to cover the cost of police enforcement and inspection.

Assistant City Attorney Kurt Stiegelmeier said the city originally
proposed -- and council approved -- licensing fees of $3,400 in July
but that further discussions with Police Chief Jim Billings indicated
the actual costs of police monitoring and inspection of those
businesses would be substantially higher.

Council then unanimously approved the higher licensing fee of $6,069.
The city is not currently considering licensing any medical marijuana
business. State licenses for such businesses will not be available
until next July and city staff does not anticipate licensing any
medical marijuana businesses in Pueblo before then.

The higher license fee will be on top of the $2,000 in zoning fees
assessed for those same businesses.

While council was in agreement over marijuana fees, it bickered over
a grant request intended to complete the Lake Minnequa Park project.

The city is applying for a $700,000 grant from the Go Colorado fund
that would be part of a $2.2 million effort to complete the sports
field complex around the new park.

As outlined by staff, the city would contribute $1.1 million to the
project and that was the rub Monday night. City Manager Jerry Pacheco
had indicated that money could be acquired from the $7.5 million in
advance tax revenues the city is receiving from Black Hills Energy this year.

Council has been debating for weeks how to spend the Black Hills
money and Councilwoman Vera Ortegon urged that $500,000 of the $1.1
million that would be earmarked for the Minnequa project instead be
diverted to street paving. She said city voters wanted to see some
use of the Black Hills money on fundamental city problems, such as
potholes, and she said the city could find an additional $500,000 for
the Minnequa project from some other source next year.

Councilman Ray Aguilera, who has championed the Lake Minnequa Park
project, bristled at that and told Ortegon council shouldn't tamper
with the funding plan for completing the park project.

"You don't have the votes," he told her with some emotion, apparently
referring to his fellow Democrats on the board -- Council President
Larry Atencio and Councilmen Leroy Garcia and Steve Nawrocki.

Ortegon said she wasn't trying to cut funding for the park, just
trying to redirect some of the Black Hills revenue to street repairs
next year. Other funding for the park could be found, she said.

Nawrocki interjected that he understood her intent, but said there
were no guarantees the city could find $500,000 from other sources
next year. With that, Nawrocki, Atencio, Garcia and Aguilera then
voted down Ortegon's proposed amendment, which was supported by her
fellow Republicans, Councilwoman Judy Weaver and Councilman Chris Kaufman.

"So you're voting against fixing the roads," Ortegon challenged
Nawrocki, who fended off that accusation.

"You're putting me in that position. I'm for fixing our roads," he
countered. "But we don't know where you're going to get that other
$500,000 from or what that might affect."

"That's why I voted against it, too," Atencio told Ortegon.