A marijuana cultivation permit application is in front of the Ketchikan City Council on Thursday.
The application up for consideration was submitted by Jason Kolanko, who hopes to open Rainforest Cannabis Cultivation on the third floor of a warehouse on Rex Allen Drive, an area zoned for industrial use.
The Council has the power to protest or approve permit applications submitted to the 
State Marijuana Control Board, although the state board has the final say.
According to a memo from City Clerk Katy Suiter, the applicant has no outstanding taxes, there are no zoning concerns regarding the application, and the Ketchikan Police Department has filed no objections to the permit. The city Fire Marshal has not yet signed off on the plan, though, because more work needs to be completed regarding equipment for the business.
Suiter provided three possible motions for the Council. The first approves the permit application; the second approves the application contingent upon a satisfactory review by the Fire Marshal; and the third protests the permit application.
Also on Thursday, the City Council will consider a $1.4 million budget transfer to the Ketchikan Public Utilities Water Division to pay for water pipe improvements on Mill Street. The money comes from voter-approved bonds.
The Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers. Public comment will be heard at the start of the meeting.
