Bethany Council Approves Ballot Measure To Approve Sales Tax For Recreational Marijuana Sales
Bethany’s Board of Alderman approved a ballot measure to be placed on the April ballot before city voters which would allow the city to collect a 3% retail sales tax on recreational marijuana sales within the city. The action came at a meeting held on Monday night. It will not be a vote about whether recreational marijuana sales will take place within the city limits. The statewide vote in November approved a constitutional amendment which allows recreational marijuana sales in all of Missouri. The April 4th ballot measure before city voters would allow the city to collect a 3 percent tax on the sales of recreational marijuana. All taxing entities wishing to collect the 3 percent tax on recreational marijuana are required to approve the measure by a vote. The ballot question is fairly straight forward and will be read on the ballot “if the City of Bethany shall impose a 3 percent sales tax on all retail sales of adult use marijuana sales in the City of Bethany, Missouri”. The measure must be certified by the Harrison County Clerk by January 24th.
Council members also approved an ordinance which makes changes for the requirements of home-based businesses to obtain business licenses within the city. The changes are being made to align with new state law. The bill says city businesses defined as no-impact home-based businesses will not be required to obtain a business license. The no-impact definition would be met if the total number of employees and clients of the business does not exceed the occupancy limit for the residential dwelling, does not cause a substantial increase in traffic through the residential area, does not violate parking regulations, and the activities of the business occur within the residential dwelling and are not visible from the street.
Council members approved a bid for the relocation cost of the Bethany Train Depot to the city’s property located just south of Bulldog Avenue across from the South Harrison High School campus. The bid was approved from Patton Structural Solutions, LLC of Paola, Kansas at $50,000. Bethany Mayor Lance Johns says donations will be sought for financing to aid the move of the Bethany Depot. Those donations can be made through the Bethany Chamber of Commerce and would be tax-deductible. The mayor has a goal for contributions at $20,000.
Nominations are still being taken for Bethany’s Christmas Lighting Contest. Citizens must contact Bethany City Hall by December 9th to be eligible to nominate a dwelling for consideration. The judging will take place next week. The winners will be announced at Bethany’s next council meeting on December 19th.
