Supervisors to tackle pot cultivation

Residents of Butte County who grow medical marijuana are in for quite a meeting next Tuesday (Feb. 22). The county Board of Supervisors is planning to take up the issue of a cultivation ordinance that, among other things, would create fees based on property size.

For example, for a lot between 1 and 20 acres, a registration fee of $832 would be required, plus an identification zip tie ($44) must be purchased for each plant. The ordinance also would cap the number of plants on a lot that size to 12 mature plants. Additional regulations regarding grow sites’ distance from schools and filing recommendations with the county are also included.

The ordinance will be posted on the county’s website Thursday afternoon (www.buttecounty.net). Although a public hearing is required to discuss the fees involved, Deputy Administrative Officer Sang Kim said he expected to request that the board waive the first reading of the ordinance and move to approve it.