Cape Girardeau City Council votes marijuana tax question for April ballot

Cape Girardeau City Council members voted unanimously at their meeting Monday, Jan. 9, to approve a ballot question on whether to levy an additional 3% sales tax to recreational marijuana sales within city limits. The ordinance will appear on the consent agenda for the second and third readings Monday, Jan. 23.

Council member Dan Presson was absent from the meeting.

The question will appear on the general municipal election ballot Tuesday, April 4.

According to the meeting agenda, the tax is expected to generate around $153,660 per year or a little more than $12,800 monthly.

For the measure to appear on the ballot, the ordinance and ballot must be approved no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Municipalities have the power to levy the tax if approved by the voters because of a subsection of Amendment 3 containing the rules governing the legalization of recreational marijuana, which was approved by Missouri voters in November.

Council members discussed ballot language at length during the meeting, considering altering the specific language that specified "no more than one-quarter" of the collected tax would go to the Cape Girardeau Police Department for mental health and drug treatment programs. The department would have an option to partner with not-for-profits for those services.

Councilwoman Shannon Truxel led the push to amend the language but council members ended up voting in favor of the existing language, mostly because they would not be able to take time to discuss new language at an upcoming meeting.

Mayor Stacy Kinder asked whether the discussion could be delayed to consider changing wording until the next meeting but city charter prevented that possibility.

Any substantial change to the ballot questions would require an additional council meeting to take place seven days after the change was discussed before it could be officially approved, city attorney Gregg Young said at the meeting. Meaning that if an amendment were to pass at the Jan. 23 meeting, another meeting would need to take place before it is fully approved.

Under current ordinances, the sale of recreation marijuana in Cape Girardeau is taxed the standard 2.75% local sales tax — along with other special district taxes — on top of the 6% levied by the state.

Cape Girardeau County officials are also considering a 3% countywide sales tax on the drug.