County to place marijuana sales tax issue on ballot

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by Patty Cheffey

The Marion County Commission will be asking voters to approve a 3 percent sales tax on adult use marijuana sales during the April election.

The Marion County Commission approved the ballot language during their meeting Monday morning, at which they also discussed ARPA funds to the Douglass Community Services, approved new plat books, approved a request from the public administrator and approved the 2023 budget (see related article).

If approved Marion County will “impose a county-wide sales tax of three percent (3%) on all tangible personal property retail sales of adult use marijuana sold in Marion County, Mo.”

The city of Palmyra has already approved a similar ballot question for the April election as well.

In other business in reviewing bills, Western District Commissioner Steve Begley questioned why the county appears to be the only one paying any bills for the Douglass Community Services new facility.

Acknowledging the county had set aside $500,000 of ARPA funds to be used to assist Douglass with their project, Begley noted it would appear Douglass is not using any of their other funds, including anything they might have set aside in their own budget, to pay bills.

All bills paid by the county so far have been for engineering work and have totaled over $100,000.

Because of the concern and because it was reported there appears to be an issue with which grant will pay which items first, Begley asked if it was possible to have Stephanie Cooper with Douglass Community Services, appear at an upcoming meeting to discuss the matter.

“If they don’t have any money to put towards these bills, how are they going to pay actual construction costs?” Begley questioned.

The other two commissioners agreed, and Cooper will be contacted, with all noting they will not pay out any more county ARPA money until they get a better understanding from Cooper.

In her report, Teya Stice, county improvement coordinator, said it has been two years since the county printed plat books, and there were only 10 books remaining.

Cost is the same, she said, with $1,000 to create the file and $13 per book to be printed.

Noting they do give away about 100 books to emergency services and others, Stice said she would like to have 200 books printed, noting many people can get the information they need online or through GIS. The commissioners approved the printing of 200 books.

The commissioners also met with Wendy Howe, public administrator, concerning property, owned by a new client, which had been sold on public auction for failure to pay back taxes.

Howe requested in the best interest of her client, who has dementia and therefore did not pay her taxes, the county approve vacating the sale and allow her as public administrator of the woman’s estate to pay those taxes.

The property would then go back on public auction with the woman getting whatever funds might come about from that sale.

Howe noted the woman was a new client and did not come to her until after the sale had taken place.

The commissioners approved vacating the sale.

They also approved the sale of a trustee-held property at 2007 Gordon St. in Hannibal for $100.

In addition, the commissioners learned Stice will be getting bids for repair work on the ceiling in the lawyers’ office in the Palmyra Courthouse as well as on a second location on the top floor of the courthouse.