Tumwater and Squaxin Island Tribe to form intergovernmental committee

EMS to be provided for tribal dispensary

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Tumwater City Council authorized Mayor Debbie Sullivan to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Squaxin Island Tribe on Tuesday, April 4, establishing a framework to strengthen the two jurisdictions’ relationship.

According to the MOU, the ultimate purpose of the agreement is to “improve communication and mutual understanding” between the two governments to better serve their people.

To this end, the city and the tribe would form an intergovernmental committee composed of two elected officials from each administration. The committee would serve as a forum to discuss and address issues concerning both jurisdictions by proposing actions and policies.

Issues that would be brought to the committee include: economic well-being, land use regulation, infrastructure planning and development, cultural events, fisheries and habitat restoration, and protection for environmental, historical, and cultural resources.

The committee won’t have a common budget and cannot hold property jointly.

Tumwater to provide emergency services to tribal property

The council also authorized Sullivan to sign a letter written by Squaxin Island Tribal Council Chair Kris Peters and addressed to Sullivan that makes the city’s emergency service available to a tribal land trust on 7249 Old Highway 99, where a marijuana dispensary would be built by the tribe.

City Administrator John Doan previously told the city council during a meeting on March 28 that the enterprise would not generate significant demand for public service.

“They are not what we know from other marijuana dispensaries,” Doan had said. “They're not big public service generators. They're pretty small for the most part in terms of number of calls.”

The letter states that the tribe will make an annual contribution of $2,500 to use the city’s public services. Peters wrote that though the tribe believes that the economic benefit of the tribal enterprise will not exceed any additional cost to the city, the tribe is willing to make a contribution to ensure good faith and maintain positive relations.

The amount would be fixed for a period of three years, after which it could be modified. Doan explained at the prior meeting that it came to an annual contribution of $2,000 after estimating the number of calls the business would generate and calculating how much each call would cost the city.

Doan addressed that there are issues surrounding law enforcement, particularly whose law would apply on the tribal property. The intergovernmental committee, which would form 60 calendar days after the MOU is executed, would address this specific issue within its first months by developing a more detailed service agreement.

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  • Coug66

    Isn't the Squaxin tribe located in Mason county? How would this agreement for emergency services be impacted by passage of the Regional Fire Authority, Prop. #1?

    Thursday, April 6, 2023 Report this

  • Southsoundguy

    Why was a drug spot approved in that location? Of all the things that could be done at that site, a weed store next to Old Town Plaza. I see the city really wants that neighborhood to develop in a positive direction.

    Friday, April 7, 2023 Report this