<\/p>\n
On April 7, Dolores voters will choose four Town Board trustees and decide whether to allow marijuana businesses and off-highway vehicles to operate in town.<\/p>\n
The town board recently approved sending the OHV and pot issues to voters. Currently, retail marijuana operations are prohibited in town, and OHVs are not allowed on city streets.<\/p>\n
The marijuana ballot issue will have several questions about the types of retail marijuana operations and how they should be taxed.<\/p>\n
Voters will be asked to approve or deny marijuana operations for recreational and medical use, manufacturing, testing facilities and cultivation.<\/p>\n
The marijuana tax questions are separate from the main marijuana decision and are moot if voters reject marijuana operations altogether.<\/p>\n
A tax question will ask whether each marijuana sale should be subject to an occupation tax (transaction fee) of no more than $5. Another will ask whether there should be a 5% excise tax on the sale of unprocessed, cultivated retail marijuana to a retail store.<\/p>\n
If the measure for retail marijuana operations fails, a permanent ban on retail marijuana sales and operations would go into effect.<\/p>\n
On the OHV issue, the Dolores Chamber of Commerce dropped its ballot petition after the Town Board added it to the April 7 ballot. Discussion about the ballot language will take place at a Town Board meeting and workshop at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27.<\/p>\n
The Secretary of State\u2019s deadline for ballot language is Feb. 4.<\/p>\n
Implementation would be pursuant to town regulations and ordinances.<\/p>\n
The land-use code would be changed to address the new businesses if allowed. Code enforcement, security and mitigation of impacts such as odor and lighting also would be addressed.<\/p>\n
Both issues have been controversial, prompting the decisions to be decided by voters rather than the Town Board.<\/p>\n
Mayor Chad Wheelus criticized the chamber\u2019s attempt to petition the OHV question onto the ballot, saying he felt they were \u201ccircumventing the board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wheelus said the OHV issue deserved more community meetings and impact studies, like what the marijuana issue went through before a decision was made to put it on the ballot.<\/p>\n
But chamber director Susan Lisak said the chamber felt it was important to get the issue decided in time for the summer tourism season.<\/p>\n
Board member James Biard didn\u2019t agree the OHV question needed additional study. He felt the board was taking too long to make a decision and people in town have already made up their minds on the issue.<\/p>\n
Also on the April 7 ballot, voters will decide who will serve on four board positions.<\/p>\n
Terms that expire in April include those for Wheelus, Biard, Duvall Truelsen and Robert \u201cCody\u201d Folsom.<\/p>\n
Nomination petitions may be picked up at Town Hall and must be turned in by Jan. 27.<\/p>\n
The election is by mail, and ballots will be sent out to each registered voter.<\/p>\n