Riverbank City Council turns away merchants, raises garbage rates

Despite fears of appearing anti-business, city leaders this week agreed to temporarily turn away merchants who want to set up e-cigarette, vapor or hookah lounges as well as those offering drug paraphernalia or Internet gambling, and also extended a previous ban on new tattoo shops.

The City Council also raised garbage rates 21 percent.

Some City Council members said they don’t want a reputation for driving away tax-paying businesses that attract customer spending and boost economic vitality. But in relatively rare split votes, the council majority agreed that it’s more important to update the city’s archaic planning documents and codes, which could take several months, before considering applications for such operations.

“I am all for taking the time to do (regulations) right,” said Councilwoman Leanne Jones Cruz. “But we can’t sit up here and say we want business when we can’t deliver it.”

She stood alone in saying “no” in 4-1 votes approving 45-day bans on new e-tobacco lounges and Internet gambling.

All of the temporary bans are expected in a few weeks to be extended several months, similar to the six-month extension on the current 45-day moratorium for tattoo operations that the council also approved Tuesday. That too came on a 4-1 vote, with Mayor Richard O’Brien dissenting because he would prefer giving staff up to a year to update planning documents. By state law, the moratoriums could be extended up to two years.

Greg Heck of Modesto became emotional when testifying that he kicked a 28-year smoking habit thanks to Robert West, whose e-tobacco application is pending in Riverbank.

“My 17-year-old daughter cried the day I told her that I’d quit,” Heck said. “I had tried dozens of times, and it’s not easy.”

The council excluded proposals to sell e-cigarettes, reasoning that those products already are available in several Riverbank stores. They considered the six-month tattoo moratorium a concession as well, because staff had proposed a full year.

“This sends a message to business that we’re attempting to expedite things,” Councilman Cal Campbell said.

Online gambling already is illegal, and contract planning director John Anderson acknowledged it’s unlikely that someone wanting to run an outlaw operation would apply for a business permit. But the council majority still approved a temporary ban.

Only four Riverbank residents submitted protests to raising garbage bills. Edward Jones told the council that most people living in the mobile home park where he resides are on fixed incomes.

Tuesday’s action formalized what the council had decided in February. Monthly bills for standard 90-gallon containers will rise from $17.50 to $21.20, and automatically will go up as much as 2.5 percent every year in the next four years based on a consumer price index. City Hall will get a 12.85 percent cut and will turn billing duties over to the franchise hauler, Gilton Solid Waste.

This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Riverbank City Council turns away merchants, raises garbage rates."