Marthasville voters will decide whether the city should tax marijuana sales on April 2.
Although Marthasville doesn’t have a dispensary in the city limits, aldermen voted unanimously in January to put the question on the ballot.
The ballot question will read: “Shall the City of Marthasville, Missouri, impose a sales tax of three percent on all retail sales of adult use marijuana sold in the City of Marthasville, Missouri?”
Mayor David Lange said while most cities voted on the marijuana tax last year, the aldermen decided to wait and gauge if dispensaries were interested in setting up shop in Marthasville. Lange said the city has not received any business applications for one, yet.
But, this year, the board decided to move forward with adding the question to the ballot.
“The board felt they wanted to get on the same playing field as the majority of all the other communities around us,” he said. “So, we decided to put it on the ballot now before we even received an application for a dispensary.”
Lange said when he goes to Washington and drives by Missouri Health & Wellness Dispensary, it always seems to be busy.
“It is a source of revenue for the local communities,” he said, “and it isn’t a lot different than taxing alcohol or having a liquor license and stuff of that nature.”
East Ward Alderman Nicholas Lange and West Ward Alderman Christopher DeVore are up for reelection and are running unopposed.
