Each week leading up to the 2023 Lowell City Council election, we are featuring a different question posed to candidates. These questions were selected to allow candidates the opportunity to speak directly to voters as well as address issues on the minds of many residents. Candidate answers have not been edited in any way and are published exactly as provided. This week’s question is:
Do you think Lowell’s marijuana ordinance should be changed, and if so, how?
Eric Bartkus
The local marijuana businesses have brought benefits to our city, but the Master Plan public survey clearly conveyed the consensus that we have more than our share of stores. Streets have benefited from state money which is shared yearly based on the number of shops. As Mike Burns has stated, the current road construction wouldn’t be occurring without them. The building renovations have improved property tax valuations and appearances. Police Chief Hurst told me that drunk driving arrests have become almost non-existent and drug related arrests are few. Crime has been limited to a few professional break-ins and employee embezzlements. One person recently told me that a THC cream was the only thing that helped his knee pain. Others have conveyed similar medical benefits.
Looking at marijuana in general, I am concerned with the following quote from Chief Hurst (when asked about MJ), “Probably one of the most disturbing calls we are getting are psychotic behavior calls. We have taken many threats of suicide, accomplished suicide, and other mentally disturbed persons calls. Since 2021 we’ve seen a large increase in this area…in contrast our drunk driving arrests are nearly nonexistent.” I don’t know if this is related to MJ or not, only passing on his comments. The increased police calls need to be monitored closely and addressed to ensure citizen safety.
Trying to limit the number of businesses invites lawsuits that are expensive to the city. As many Michigan areas now have shops, I think supply and demand will determine the correct number for Lowell. One business has recently closed. I would raise the $5K application fee by a good bit to generate more street repair money. Liquor licenses to the state cost well over $100K. I do not recommend any changes to the ordinance except the fee increase.
The increased police calls are one of the many reasons I fully support Chief Hurst and the Lowell Police Department. Lowell spends a reasonable amount of money (25% of the general fund) on police safety, compared to Allegan (25%), St. Joseph (33%), Portland (32%), and Ionia (45% police and fire). When I lived in the township for 23 years, my 911 calls to the Sheriff took 20 to 30 minutes. My calls to Lowell took less than 4 minutes. The Kent County Sheriff average response time for Cascade township in the fall 2022 was 22 min 50 seconds (source Cascade twp website). Lowell would likely have longer times coming from the Ball street HQ. Having a dedicated well-trained police force close at hand is a real benefit to us all. I do not support contracting police services to the county.
Jake Davenport
To make my views very clear, I do not like the idea of having 12 or 13 pot shops Lowell. I also am not a marijuana user. A city of 4000 people, approximately, does not need 13 pot shops. However, changing the ordnance at this juncture wouldn’t do much to change the overall pot shop landscape we currently possess. The toothpaste is already out of the tube on this issue.
Mike DeVore
I don’t. Truly. Not putting a number on how many we can have has saved us money and time fighting lawsuits. The first one you say no to will sue you. We’ve monitored it in other communities who chose to cap the number and they have lost at every turn. While we didn’t limit the number, we were able to exclude certain areas of the city from being eligible. We eliminated all of our historic downtown and everything east of the river, as well as keeping them at a distance from any church or school. It has also taken so many properties in the area and fixed up blighted buildings, put new use into abandoned businesses and landscaped and maintained the area. The Thomet building is a prime example. Cars haven’t been sold there in years and the property had deteriorated the whole time. That is no longer the case. Similar improvements were made at Showboat Auto, Family Video and a long vacant lot behind Speedway. It has caused no issues for our police or fire departments. Meds Cafe actually donated a water rescue boat and trailer to the fire department. They have also increased taxable value on the properties that helps the city, along with all the tax revenue that we dedicate to fixing the roads. They are also water and electric customers. Light and Power pays a pilot payment to the city every year based on usage, so this is all additional revenue we didn’t have prior. The amount of money we receive has increased every year and the results are visible in the acceleration of our local street repair schedule.
Jim Salzwedel
I am fine with the way the ordinance is written today. I would consider change the business hour of operations until 10PM.
Sharon Shah
No, I don’t.
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