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LONDONDERRY – Residents here voted to approve the authorization of cannabis retailers in the city, but rejected a proposed 1% local option tax that would have allowed the city to benefit from its sale.
City administrator Shane O’Keefe said the impact of the vote, which took place in October, is not yet known.
“We don’t know how this will impact the city at this time, as voting only allows retail cannabis and integrated licensees to move to Londonderry if they choose to do so,” O said. ‘Keefe.
O’Keefe said the city is well positioned to take advantage of the income and tourism that could be generated by having a retailer in Londonderry.
“Considering that Londonderry is central to several tourist destinations, has storefronts available in its villages, and sits at the crossroads of Vermont Highways 11 and 100, I think it is ideally located for a new cannabis retailer,†said O’Keefe said. “A business of this type could attract additional visitors and business activity to the community, which in turn could add to the already positive business atmosphere in Londonderry. “
There were 199 ballots on a checklist of 1,558 voters.
Article 1, “Should the city allow cannabis retailers in the city”, enacted 116-82. One ballot was left blank.
A second article authorizing integrated city licenses passed 108-87, with four blank ballots.
The local option tax issue, which would have allowed the city to assess a 1% sales tax, failed by a vote of 117-82.
Londonderry City Clerk Kelly Pajala said the vote meant a cannabis business could operate in the city.
“When the state begins licensing cannabis retail stores, Londonderry will be a city that allows retailers to operate,†Pajala said. But that doesn’t mean a business can open in Londonderry without getting a local permit, she said.
“Anyone with a state license will still need to obtain a local zoning permit,†Pajala said. “Assuming that a company has both a state license and a local zoning permit, it seems reasonable to assume that a store operating in Londonderry would contribute to state revenue from cannabis sales.”
But voters chose not to approve a plan to enact a local option tax, which Pajala said means the city will not see any cannabis sales tax revenue unless the law of the State does not change.
“At this point, since Londonderry has not passed the local options sales tax, the city will not see any income from cannabis sales unless there is a change in state law. or that a future local vote passes the adoption of the sales tax on local options, â€said Pajala.
Pajala said there had been no movement on the issue in Londonderry.
“At this time, there are no local zoning permit applications for a retail establishment and the state has not issued any licenses. So it remains to be seen whether a cannabis retailer will operate in Londonderry, â€Pajala said. “At the very least, it’s a possibility.
The vote was postponed from September after the warning on the matter missed a download for the benchmark newspaper, the Vermont Journal.
The vote was set for September 17 and was properly warned, and a notice was placed on the city’s website and in public places. But the deadline for the newspaper’s legal publicity was missed and the city’s board of directors chose to delay the vote to make sure everything was done correctly under Vermont election law.
An information meeting was held on October 13.
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