Herculaneum voters will be asked in April to approve a 3-cent sales tax to be charged on recreational marijuana sales.
Board of Aldermen members voted 6-0 Jan. 17 to place the measure on the April 4 ballot.
The measure requires a simple majority for passage.
Herculaneum does not currently have any businesses that sell recreational marijuana, but on Nov. 8, Missouri voters approved a measure allowing for those sales to people 21 and older.
Facilities that currently sell medical marijuana were allowed to start applying for licenses to sell recreational marijuana on Dec. 8. Once a facility applies, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has 60 days to act on those requests.
“This is Herculaneum leaders wanting to be prepared if a marijuana-sales business comes in,” City Administrator Jim Kasten said.
As part of the recreational marijuana measure approved in November, Missouri will charge an additional 6-cent sales tax on those purchases.
If Herculaneum voters approve the city’s measure on April 4, it would mean an additional 9-cent sales tax would be charged (3 cents for the city and 6 cents for the state) when people purchase recreational marijuana in town.
The current sales tax rate in Herculaneum is 9.85 cents per dollar, with 3.5 cents going to the city, 4.225 cents to the state, 1.625 cents to the county and 0.5 cents to Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District, according to city officials.
If Herculaneum voters approve the marijuana tax in April, and if someone were to buy recreational marijuana in the city, the sales tax on that purchase would be a total of 18.85 cents per dollar.
Kasten said the aldermen have not determined how revenue from marijuana sales would be used, should voters pass the measure.
“We have not designated where the money would go,” he said. “It’s something the board needs to discuss.”
Herculaneum is the latest city in the county to ask voters to pass a local sales tax on the sale of recreational marijuana. Festus and Pevely already had placed the measure on the April ballot.
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