Following several Missouri cities approving local marijuana taxes in the April election, Springfield may be poised to do the same.
Today the Springfield City Council held a special meeting to discuss the possibility of imposing a local 3% tax on marijuana sales, similar to what voters approved last month in St Louis, Columbia and Kansas City. During the meeting the council directed the city attorney to establish an emergency ordinance that would be considered during their May 22 meeting that would establish such a tax.
In Missouri marijuana sales receive a 6% excise tax, in addition to the state’s standard 4.2% sales tax. Cities are allowed to establish their own tax of up to 3%.
If the council approves the emergency ordinance by May 30, it will be placed on the August 8 ballot for voters to decide.
The council instructed the city attorney to draft the bill so that funding is placed into public safety, housing, drug and alcohol treatment and mental health resources. A proposal by one councilmember to direct 50% of the funding to address homelessness was rejected by a majority of the council.
A council estimate put the potential revenue gain from this ordinance at $1.3 million per year. However, City Manager Jason Gage says he expects the actual revenue to be at least two to three times that.
