Republic’s City Council is considering putting one new question and six amendments to the city’s charter before voters in April.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, the potential ballot measures were introduced as new business. They’ll be brought back up for a vote at the next council meeting January 9. If council members give their approval, they’ll be on the ballot for city voters April 2.
The city is considering asking voters to approve a 3% sales tax on retail sales of adult use recreational marijuana sold in the city. Greene County and Springfield passed similar taxes in the last year, as have many cities and counties in the region and state.
The owner of Republic’s sole dispensary spoke at the meeting. Alex Paulson said prices rose fast after the legalization of recreational marijuana. His business has already seen a dip in customers due to the increase. He believes increasing taxes will push more customers away from Missouri to nearby Oklahoma and from legal cannabis. Paulson suggested competitive moderation and described how a sales tax advantage could help the city stand out. Missouri’s recreational marijuana law allows cities and counties to apply a maximum 3% sales tax. In most cases, cities and counties have pursued and implemented this maximum rate.
Council is also looking to reshape the city charter, largely for logistical reasons. Among the six proposed amendments: a move to make every even year a municipal election year with staggered four-year terms for council and a change that would allow ordinances to be introduced and voted on in a single meeting. Under the current charter this process takes two meetings. Regardless of how urgent or noncontroversial the item is, items passed at a single meeting would have to be approved unanimously.