Festus city officials will ask voters in April to approve a 3-cent sales tax to be charged on the sale of recreational marijuana.
The measure requires a simple majority to pass.
Recreational marijuana is not currently being sold in Festus. However, on Nov. 8, state voters approved a measure allowing for those sales to people 21 and older.
Facilities that currently sell medicinal marijuana may start applying for licenses to sell recreational marijuana today, Dec. 8. Then, facilities that receive the licenses may begin selling recreational marijuana in February.
Right now, the sales tax rate in Festus is 9.35 cents per dollar, with 3 cents of that going to the city, 4.225 cents to the state, 1.625 cents to the county and 0.5 cents to Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District, city officials reported.
As part of the measure voters approved that soon will allow the sale of recreational marijuana, the state will charge an additional 6-cent sales tax on those purchases.
If the city’s measure is approved on April 4, that means an extra 9-cent sales tax would be charged (3 cents for the city and 6 cents for the state) when people buy recreational marijuana in Festus.
According to the ballot language for the 3-cent sales tax proposal for Festus, revenue generated from it “would provide much-needed funding to meet the city’s infrastructure needs, and for the city’s police department and fire department.”
The City Council voted 6-1 to approve putting the 3-cent sales tax on the ballot. Ward 3 Councilman Bobby Venz cast the only no vote, and Ward 2 Councilman Brian Wehner was absent from the meeting.
Those voting to place the measure on the ballot included Dave Boyer and Jim Collier of Ward 1, Staci Templeton of Ward 2, Kevin Dennis of Ward 3 and Jim Tinnin and Mike Cook of Ward 4.
Venz said he voted no because he is concerned that an additional sales tax on recreational marijuana could discourage a business interested in selling the product from coming to Festus.