Finance & Governance Committee

City and County Building City and County of Denver 1437 Bannock St. Denver, CO 80202 Minutes Finance & Governance Committee Committee Members: Kniech, Chair; Flynn, Vice-Chair; Black; Espinoza; López; Ortega Committee Staff: Shelley Smith Tuesday, October 11, 2016 1:30 PM City & County Building, Room 391 Attendance Present: 8- Kniech, Black, Espinoza, López, Ortega, Kashmann, New, Brooks Absent: 1- Flynn Presentations 16-0941 Initiated Ordinance 300 to create a cannabis consumption pilot program 1) Outline of provisions, Kayvan Khalathari, Lead Proponent 2) Comments from City Attorney's Office & Office of Marijuana Policy 3) 15 minutes of public comment 4) Council Discussion Shelley Smith Committee chair Robin Kniech introduced the discussion and explained that this committee's jurisdiction includes ballot initiatives, but, should the initiative pass, the Special Issues Marijuana Committee will be charged with its implementation. Kayvan Khalathari, Lead Proponent, outlined the provisions of Initiative 300 and its benefits in solving certain problems. City Attorney David Broadwell reviewed the proposal in depth noting problem areas and those that may conflict with law or policy. Fifteen minutes of public comment including included testimony by the following individuals: Jordon Person, Denver NORML, spoke about the problems with the initiative including allowing substance micins and public consumption. City and County of Denver Page 1 Printed on 10/14/2016 Finance & Governance Committee Minutes October 11, 2016 Margie Valdez, Chair of InterNeighborhood Cooperation's Zoning & Planning Committee, reported that the group voted to strongly oppose I-300. Judd Golden, Denver NORML, spoke against this approach and suggested adding private clubs to the mix should it pass. Teresa Wright, Denver NORML, said the organization was opposed to Initiative 300 noting that leaving decisions to the neighborhood organizations was not a proper place for the these types of decisions, especially since there is no dispute resolution. Lisa Tran, Responsible Use Denver/Denver NORLM, spoke against the proposal and preferred the private club model. Robert Clery, Denver NORML, questioned provisions of the initiative that he said left smokers out in the cold and gave undue influence to registered neighborhoods. Bob Doyle, American Lung Association joined others to oppose based on air quality and health issues. He felt it sent the wrong message and increased Denverites exposure to unsafe chemicals. Councilmembers asked questions and discussed the implications of the initiative. Discussion. It was announced that more information is available in a segment on the initiative being aired by Channel 8. 16-0942 Executive Session: Liability Claims Update A motion offered by Councilmember Ortega, duly seconded by Councilmember Black, to go into executive session to discuss liability claims against the City carried by the following vote: Aye: 6- Kniech, Black, Espinoza, López, Ortega, Brooks City and County of Denver Page 2 Printed on 10/14/2016 Finance & Governance Committee Minutes October 11, 2016 Nay: 0 Absent: 1- Flynn Consent Item 16-0923 Adds $1 million and two years through 9-30-18 to the contract with Senter, Goldfarb, & Rice LLC for a new total of $2 million for on-call special counsel for conflict cases, overflow, and other legal matters (ATTNY- 201313803-01). Shelley Smith This Resolution 16-0923 was approved by consent. City and County of Denver Page 3 Printed on 10/14/2016