© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

With Uncertainty Over Store Openings, Springfield Will Not Include Pot Shop Revenue In Next Budget

T.J. Plante speaks at a podium
Western Mass Politics & Insight

    The largest city in Massachusetts will not bank on any money from newly-legal marijuana stores to balance its books.

Springfield Chief Finance Officer T.J. Plante said it is difficult to estimate how much business cannabis shops might do, so he does not plan to include any revenue from the 3 percent local tax on pot purchases in the fiscal year 2020 budget.

"I think it all depends on how large these facilities are and how well they do, so I would be hesitant to put any real numbers out there," said Plante.

Springfield plans to begin accepting applications for permits for pot stores starting in March. 

The zoning law passed by the City Council allows for up to 15 cannabis shops.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.