City Council Study Session

City of Spearfish City Council Study Session Minutes May 15, 2024, 4:15 p.m. The City Council Study Session was called to order by Mayor Senden at 4:15 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The following c o u n c i l members were present: Clark, Hafner, Hourigan, Klarenbeek, and Rath. Absent: Jacobs. City staff present were: Finance Officer DeNeui, City Attorney McDonald, Public Safety Director Rotert, Parks and Recreation Director Ehnes, Public Works Director McMahon, and Code Enforcement Officer Addison. Klarenbeek moved, Rath seconded, and all voted to approve the agenda. Items for Council Discussion Bike Advisory Group – Carol Lucking, a member of the group gave a presentation that emphasized the main focus of the group is to make cycling easier for people. Other items of interest she mentioned were that the group started in 2016 and have provided bicycle routes and signage, the comprehensive plan, and the group was responsible for the Bike Skills Park construction. She also reviewed events taking place during National Bike-to-Work Week (May 13-19). Code Enforcement Q&A – Code Enforcement Officer Addison gave a presentation and stated that the goal of the Code Enforcement Office is to have voluntary compliance by property owners and residents to create and maintain a clean, safe, and beautiful place to live, work, and play. She explained that the role of the code enforcement officer is to educate, respond, and investigate. Addison went into detail as to what are considered nuisances as stated in the City Ordinances. The mayor then opened the meeting up for questions. Hourigan asked if the city had quiet hours in place. Public Safety Director Rotert said there is no noise ordinance and noise complaints are handled by the Police Department. Hourigan also inquired about construction rubble in the Ward Subdivision. Addison said that situation has been identified as an abatement case and will be resolved by the end of the month. Clark asked if a notice hung on a resident’s door is considered a case. Addison stated that a door hanger is one of several ways to contact a resident about an ordinance violation and that the hanger is often used as a motivator for the resident to take action on their own before the violation becomes a case. Clark also asked if the ordinance office had a list of people they could contact if a resident needed assistance with addressing the violation. Rotert stated they have a list of contractors that people can use for snow removal, sidewalk repairs, removal of large amounts of debris and a list of volunteer groups is available for residents that might need extra help. Rath stated that Addison does a great job and is very thorough and helpful when working with residents on violations. Cannabis Licenses – The council is seeking input and information on whether a second cannabis dispensary license should be considered. A second dispensary license could promote competition and provide better access for people to receive care. There are three license opportunities for discussion: lottery method, liquor license bid process, or applications to be reviewed according to criteria established by city staff. Clark was concerned that the criteria method could be problematic because of the evaluation process, a liquor license approach would provide more value to the current license holder, and the $1,500 non-refundable lottery option is a lot of money. Hafner wondered what other cities the size of Spearfish are doing with their licensing process. City Attorney McDonald stated that there is no model ordinance that cities follow so it would be hard to look at other cities and apply their methods to Spearfish. Rath, Hourigan, and Klarenbeek stated they believe the lottery system seems like the fairest option. Finance Officer DeNeui mentioned another licensing possibility that could involve merging the lottery and highest bid options. Applications would be accepted if they meet compliance and then submit a bid for a license by a certain date. The mayor opened the meeting for public comment at 5:05 p.m. Jim Gynn, Dustin Poepkes, Todd Smith, and Frank Pavich, all medical cannabis dispensary owners and/or operators, provided input regarding their concerns and ideas about potential changes to how dispensary licenses are awarded. The mayor left the meeting at 5:19 p.m. and Clark chaired the meeting. The mayor returned to the meeting at 5:22 p.m. and closed public comment. Council members would like to have more time to make a decision as to what is the best way to proceed with adding a second medical cannabis dispensary. Draft Agenda The draft agenda for the May 20, 2024, City Council Regular Session was reviewed. No additional discussions were held, and with a motion from Clark and second from Hourigan, the meeting adjourned at 5:29 p.m.