June 21, 2021
Missoula County commissioners are seeking public opinion while deciding whether to pass a resolution to hold a special election for voters to consider a 3% local option tax on marijuana sales.
The first public hearing on this issue will take place at the public meeting of the Commissioners on Thursday 1st July at 2 p.m. The session will be held in the Sophie Moiese Room of the Missoula County Courthouse, and attendees can also attend remotely with the following information:
Microsoft Teams meeting
Conference call ID: 344 276 93 #
House Bill 701, passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor earlier this year, allows marijuana businesses to operate and retail sales taxed in the Montana counties, where a majority of voters approved Initiative 190, which owns and Selling marijuana for legalized recreational use in Montana. In Missoula County, 70% of voters voted for the I-190 in the 2020 general election.
HB 701 authorizes the counties to pass a resolution that puts an excise tax on marijuana with a local option of up to 3% on the ballot. If voters approve the vote, the tax would go into effect 90 days later and apply to all marijuana and marijuana products sold in adult and medical marijuana dispensaries in the county. As of May 7, there were 48 marijuana dispensaries in Missoula County that were registered with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services.
Current projections, based on a report by the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, put the tax in around $ 716,100 annually. Missoula County would keep 50% of the revenue, 45% would go to the City of Missoula, and the remaining 5% would go to the Montana Department of Revenue to help meet the costs of administering the tax. The City of Missoula Administration will ask city council members to pass a resolution in support of the move in the coming weeks.
The income from the tax can be used for any activity, business or administrative service that a state is legally authorized to carry out, including costs arising from the collection of the tax or from administrative expenses due to licensing or regulatory requirements . Although city and county officials are still considering what the proceeds could be used for, options are being explored, including using a percentage to offset property taxes, as well as funding community needs such as the mobile crisis unit and preventing homelessness.
Members of the public can comment at a public meeting, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 406-258-4877. If approved, the special county elections would be held either Tuesday, September 14, in conjunction with the possible Missoula local election, or Tuesday, November 2, in conjunction with the local election.
This news release was prepared by the Missoula County government. The views expressed here are your own.