YAKIMA — The Yakima City Council will be asked to delay lifting the ban on marijuana businesses until May, Councilwoman Kathy Coffey said Thursday.
Coffey, who made the motion Tuesday to have staff draft the paperwork to lift the city’s ban, said she now thinks the city would benefit from delaying the vote until the new council deals with other issues.
She said those include the expected March 8 vote on the future of the proposed $14 million downtown plaza and the ongoing search for a permanent city manager, which could take three to six months. The council is also about to review and possibly change its “Strategic Plan,” essentially a policy outline set by the council that guides the objectives of City Hall and requires annual updates from staff on how those are being met.
“I just think we need to spend our time addressing the issues we already have on our plate,” Coffey said. “Not that I’m changing my mind. I’m just recognizing we’ve got so many issues we already need to deal with.”
Coffey said she will make her motion to delay the issue at the council’s Feb. 16 business meeting.
