Marijuana Blog

Layoffs in the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, raising permit fees for marijuana cooperatives and doubling zip tie fees are topics on the Board of Supervisors Tuesday agenda. Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman listed seven sworn positions for layoff, as the board directed him to do during its Nov. 30 meeting. "The sheriff recommends that additional funding be allocated to the Sheriff's Office, to avoid cuts to Public Safety," Allman writes under the portion of the agenda summary marked "recommended action/motion." Allman's list includes two sergeants whose layoffs would save $61,130 and $54,044; three deputies whose layoffs would save $41,202, $36,387 and $33,608; and two corrections deputies whose layoffs would save $39,644 and $37,482.

The layoffs, if they are approved, would be effective Jan. 22. Estimated savings for the remaining 2010-11 fiscal year is $303,497, and the annual savings would be $693,138. The discussion is scheduled to take place at 9:30 a.m. Allman is also proposing to raise the current $1,050 fee to grow up to 99 marijuana plants to $1,500, a 42-percent increase. He also proposes doubling the cost of his zip ties, which growers attach to each marijuana plant that meets legal parameters, from $25 to $50."It has been determined that the marijuana cooperative license fee process requires more time," a summary justifying the increase states. "The more accurate time estimate is 20 hours. Implementation and oversight of the permit