In a March 6 business meeting, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners once again heard an appeal of a marijuana farm land-use application. This is the first public hearing regarding an appeal of a marijuana land-use application since it was announced that the Deschutes County Farm Bureau and local industry representatives are appealing the county’s […]
Patti Adair
Posted inOpinion
If time is money, Deschutes County Commissioners may care less about yours than they say they do
Most people have heard the phrase, “time is money.” If that is true, it might follow that people who profess to be “fiscally responsible” would take the time—and the time of others—into consideration when attempting to be fiscally responsible. In the case of the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners, it appears that the phrase only […]
Posted inNews
DA’s Office Seeks Budget Increase
John Hummel says without staffing increase, services such as victim assistance programs could be eliminated
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel is making a big ask for staffing during this year’s budget setting. In a letter to the Deschutes County Budget Committee, dated March 4, Hummel said the department needs an increase of 12 full-time employees in order to provide full prosecution services in the county. Hummel said if the […]
Posted inNews
County Board vs. Marijuana: Axes are grinding
Rookie Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair, sworn in last month, got to take her first crack at blocking a marijuana grow land-use permit application during deliberations in a business meeting Jan. 30, alongside Board Chair Phil Henderson. (Commissioner Tony DeBone was not present for the deliberations.) The applicants, who are proposing a grow off of […]
Posted inNews
New Year, New Rules
No bones about it, 2018 was a rough one for the marijuana industry. Wholesale prices for marijuana plummeted and we saw the Oregon Liquor Control Commission halt new-license application processing in June, with no certainty if or when new licensees will get the chance to enter the market. Finally, we witnessed an anti-marijuana zealot elected […]
Posted inNews
New County Commission Chooses Leadership
Henderson becomes chair; Adair vice chair
Recently elected Commissioner Patti Adair and re-elected Commissioner Tony DeBone started the new year off by taking their seats on the Deschutes County Commission. Commissioners chose their new chair and vice-chair during the work session Monday. Adair wasted no time getting her feet wet, nominating past vice-chair Phil Henderson to become the new chair. Past […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t Start Naming Councilors Names Yet
As 2018 fades from view, we see 2019 approaching with a host of new leadership. A new Deschutes County Commissioner will join the ranks. An avowed advocate for schools—in the form of a current Bend-La Pine Schools board member—moves to the Oregon House, representing District 54. In District 53, a younger, moderate politician replaces longtime […]
Posted inNews
State to County Commissioners: Arbitrarily Deny Cannabis Permits at Your Peril
Since Deschutes County has elected yet another anti-marijuana County Commissioner, it might be instructive to take a look at a recent Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals decision before you buy into the notion that pending marijuana land-use permits are dead in the water. First, a little procedural primer: When land-use applicants seek to grow, […]
Posted inNews
Deschutes County Farm Bureau Appeals New Pot Rules
Will right-to-farm rules apply to marijuana after next legislative session?
After the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners used an “emergency” clause Oct. 24 to quickly change some of its rules for growing recreational marijuana in the County, the Deschutes County Farm Bureau filed a motion to have the changes appealed. Matt Cyrus from the Deschutes County Farm Bureau says the agriculture advocacy group on Nov. […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t let legal businesses get the short shrift
When Oregonians voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, they did so, at least in part, to legitimize an industry that had benefited only the black market for decades. Voters saw that by legalizing the market and allowing producers to grow and sell marijuana out in the open, there would be a new stream of […]