Grand Island, NY (WBEN) Across Western New York and New York State, municipal meetings are playing out during which officials are grappling with the issue of opting in or out of allowing marijuana sales within their boundaries.
The Town of Grand Island is among the most recent towns hearing from boths sides on the issue during a public meeting held earlier this week.
Debate is hot in the town, says Councilmember Mike Madigan. "There are some passionately for it, some passionately against it," says Madigan. But he notes there were only six people who spoke on it at a public hearing on it Monday. "We are getting emails and other public comments," says Madigan, who is encouraging residents to send their comments to the town.
Madigan says the town has to decide on two things. "One is do we allow sale and distribution. We can decide if that's in limited zones or island-wide. The other is, think of like a bar, where you can consume it on-site," says Madigan. While the discussion is new, Madigan has mixed thoughts. "I'm not excited about a facility for consumption, I've not decided against it yet, I'm just not excited about it. In terms of sales, I struggle with the idea with being a dry town in that regard. I'm not sure if it's worth it in that regard," notes Madigan.
The town must decide by the end of the year. "If we opt-out, we can opt-in anytime. if we don't opt-out, we lose the ability to make any decision whatsoever," explains Madigan. "My sense is the town will take a decision in the next four to six weeks, but we're still trying to get a read from the community."
What could the county miss out on revenue wise by opting out? "We don't know the real number. I believe the tax is 4 percent. I've heard numbers between $10,000 and $30,000, closer to $10,000," says Madigan. "If we opt out, we don't get to participate in the county sales tax for revenue. If we don't we can participate."
The state says all local laws passed by municipalities opting out of allowing adult-use retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses are subject to a permissive referendum as outlined in section twenty-four of the Municipal Home Rule Law.