Great Wellington The town of Great Barrington just awarded $350,000 in cannabis community impact funds to eight city government entities and nonprofits. The awards were given on the recommendation of the city Community Impact Funding Committee (CIF), city He said in a written statement.
The funds were allocated as follows:
“We have been thrilled to receive so many strong proposals and have done our best to disseminate these funds in the most effective and broadest way possible,” said Townsend Rebecca Gould, who chairs the CIF committee, which received 25 funding requests.
The city says the commission has focused its funding extensively on programs that support community health, mental health, public safety, and the risk of drug addiction. CIF added that the award it gives to the restoration of Clinton Church is intended to support the city’s reputation and commitment to local African American history, and to “balance our city’s reputation for cannabis.”
This money is distributed as part of the state’s Community Impact Fund, which allows cities and towns to collect a portion of the revenue from annual cannabis sales for distribution to help mitigate the effects of the cannabis industry. The percentage of revenue is usually negotiated as part of a Host Community Agreement between cannabis retailers and host cities.
In 2020, Great Barrington awarded $185,000 in CIF funds to local nonprofits. The 2020 award reflected revenue primarily from one cannabis store, Theory Wellness, but four of them now operate in the city.
Since opening its first recreational marijuana stores in January 2019, the City of Great Barrington . has acquired A total of more than 6.7 million dollars in cannabis-related revenue.
There are two separate taxes that provide a source of cannabis revenue for municipalities that host so-called adult cannabis stores: a 3 percent local sales tax added to state and sales taxes; and the aforementioned Community Impact Fee, which is typically 3 percent of total store sales. Nearly half of Great Barrington’s cannabis revenue was generated through community impact fees, City Finance Director Susan Carmel He said.
In an email, Berkshire Hills Director Peter Dillon told The Edge that the district’s $150,000 share of impact funding will go toward the salary and benefits of the new district health coordinator Iona Smith, materials for school and family wellness events, and stipends for the 15-member staff. On curriculum development, professional development of staff.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to continue our efforts to support health and wellness and really appreciate the support of Great Barrington,” Dillon said.
