Polk County News
8A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 23, 2016
Cities, counties sort out taxes, laws around recreational pot
Independence to prepare ballot measure to collect 3 percent sales tax on marijuana sales in town
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Be-
tween Feb. 1 and March 4,
the Oregon Department of
Revenue collected $3.48 mil-
lion in taxes on recreational
marijuana.
Part of that — 10 percent
to cities and 10 percent to
counties — will be distrib-
uted to Polk County and its
cities, based on population.
At least until July 2017, when
distribution will be based on
the number of licensees.
And in Dallas, where de-
velopment codes prohibit
businesses that do not com-
ply with federal law, essen-
tially banning marijuana
businesses, none of that
money will come.
Dallas, Falls City, Independ-
ence and Monmouth city
councils each passed a local
tax on both medical and recre-
ational marijuana in 2014
prior to Measure 91 passing, in
an attempt to boost general
funds and pay for additional
law enforcement.
Those laws are null and
void, said Mark Pettinger,
marijuana spokesman with
the Oregon Liquor Control
Commission.
“There is an opportunity
for local cities and counties
that do license recreational
sales to tack on a local sales
tax up to 3 percent,” he said.
“That has to be referred to
local voters. It can’t be done
automatically.”
According to the Oregon
law on marijuana, a 3 per-
cent local sales tax may be
approved by voters in a gen-
eral election, so cities and
counties will have to wait
two more years if they don’t
get a measure on the ballot
for November, Pettinger said.
Independence City
Recorder Karin Johnson said
the city is already working
on a measure for the No-
vember ballot to approve a 3
percent sales tax.
Independence has two
medical marijuana dispen-
saries, Blackbird Indica and
Healing Green, both of
which have sold recreational
products since Oct. 1.
At the end of the year,
medical dispensaries will
not be able to sell recre-
ational products, Pettinger
said, but recreational sellers
will be able to offer medical-
grade cannabis products.
“It is expected that many
medical marijuana dispen-
saries will be converting to
recreational license retail
stores,” he said. “The idea is
to still be able to provide
medicine to folks who have
a medical need for
cannabis.”
The city of Monmouth
has not put any restrictions
on locations for either med-
ical dispensaries or recre-
ational stores, Monmouth
City Manager Scott McClure
said, noting that a shop
could locate anywhere on
Main Street in downtown,
for example.
“A couple retailers have
tried, but couldn’t work out
anything with the land
owner,” he said.
Dallas has not passed an
ordinance against marijua-
na dispensaries or retail
shops, but has relied on the
development code to pre-
vent marijuana business be-
cause it does not comply
with federal law.
“The fact of the matter is,
until the feds change their
laws and make it so it’s not
against the law, it’s going to
remain in place as far as the
city council is concerned,”
Dallas City Manager Ron
Foggin said.
See TAX, Page 9A
Evangelical Bible Church
EASTER
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Worship Services
8:00 am & 10:45 am
Everyone Welcome!
1175 Howe St., Dallas
503-623-2331 • www.ebcdallas.org
Trinity Lutheran Church
320 SE Fir Villa, Dallas
503-623-2233
www.dallastlc.org
6:30 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
7:00 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
Easter Sunrise Service
Easter Celebration with Holy Communion
Breakfast — Free will donation
Sunday School Easter Egg Hunt
Youth Bake Sale — Before and after worship
In celebration of the day, please bring a canned food
item to benefit the Dallas Food Bank.
Come celebrate Easter
with us at the
Dallas United
Methodist church
Thursday, March 24 - Tennebrae 6:00 p.m.
Easter Sunday - Children’s Egg Hunt 10:00 a.m.
Easter Worship 11:00 a.m.
Rev. J. Quinton Kimbrow
Childcare
Provided
Handicapped
Accessible
www.umcdallas.com
565 SE LaCreole Dr. • Next to the Middle School • 503-623-2481
Good Friday
March 25
Easter Egg Dash ~ March 26
5:00pm
1st Service
6:30pm
2nd Service
10:00am - For ages 0-5th Grade
Egg’stra Special Egg Hunt ~ March 26
1:00-2:30pm - For kids with special needs
EASTER ~ MARCH 27
8:00-9:00 ~ 1st Service & Coffee Fellowship
(No kids programs during 1st)
9:30-10:30 ~ 2nd Service & Coffee Fellowship
11:00-12:00 ~ 3rd Service
598 E. Ellendale Ave., Dallas, OR ~ 5036234961
Please join us
in worship at
these times.
March 25
Good Friday Prayer Vigil
Noon - 7 pm and
8pm - Midnight
Good Friday Tenebrae
7:00 pm - Service of Darkness
Easter Sunday
7:30 am - Sunrise Eucharist
8:30 -10 am - Easter Breakfast
10:30 am - Festival Eucharist
Faith Lutheran Church
200 Monmouth - Independence Hwy
Monmouth • 503-838-3459 The Church on the “S-Curves”
Pastor Dallas C.R. Dubke • www.FaithLutheranMonmouth.org