CUSD faces $12M budget hit
Gilbert woman’s ‘micro-school’
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
HEALTH & WELLNESS
COMMUNITY......... 19 Gilbert author’s moose books a kids’ delight.
GETOUT..................... 28 Gilbert couple bring Venezuelan cuisine to EV.
COMMUNITY....................................... 19
BUSINESS..............................................31 SPORTS.......................................33
PUZZLE.......................................34
GETOUT................................................. 35 CLASSIFIED..........................................36
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Council OKs more pot restrictions for Gilbert BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
G
ilbert residents who want an outdoor structure to cultivate their marijuana plants will first need a building permit from the town. Town Council last week approved more restrictions on recreational marijuana, including a limit on certain types of hazardous materials used for marijuana extraction and infusion stored on residential property. “If they were going to put these in a residential situation, we want to make sure we have something in place – either assist people in what they are doing or let them
know a residential location is really not the place for them,” said Fire Marshall Tim Simanton. Arizona voters last November approved Proposition 207, legalizing the adult use, possession and sale of recreational cannabis. It also allows individuals to cultivate up to six marijuana plants in their residences and 12 for households with more than two adults. Under the town’s new code amendment, a permit must be obtained before any detached accessory structure such as a shed is built for marijuana cultivation, extraction or industrial-type processes. The building also must be one-story and
Higley may use budget surplus for staff raises
can’t exceed 200 square feet. Currently in Gilbert, all accessory structures over 200 square feet need a permit. Councilman Laurin Hendrix was not sold on the need to amend the residential building and fire codes and noted it would place a special requirement on someone who is going to cultivate marijuana plants or extract oils from them. “We’re changing the building code to take precaution for ventilation, I guess potentially explosions if you have too much chemicals or whatever stored in a residential facility or an out building,” Hendrix said.
Tiny tee time
see MARIJUANA page 10
BY CASEY FLANAGAN GSN Staff Writer
H
igley Unified officials expect a budget for the coming school year that will have an additional $7.8 million in spending power and the district may use some of that to give raises to teachers and staff. Tyler Moore, the director of finance, laid out the calculations for as much as a 5-percent pay increase for teachers, administrators and classified workers during the governing board meeting last Wednesday. Proposals also included raises of 1 percent and 3 percent. “District-wide, we are supporting a 5 percent increase to all staff,” Moore said. “We strongly believe that this compensation will increase the ability to retain staff, maintain competitive salaries, and be more competitive with our neighboring districts in attracting teachers.”
see HIGLEY page 4
At age 3, Hendrix Flores wasn’t wasting any time getting a feel for the links on Jan. 16 at McQueen Park, where the Junior Golf Association of Arizona held its 2021 Itty Bitty Open to introduce kids under 5 to the duffer’s life. (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff Photographer)