[LAION]

Pot as City's Revenue Stream

February 25, 2011 - nbcbayarea.com

The tiny California town of Isleton has put its economic hopes in a
medical marijuana basket. Isleton is about 50 miles south of Sacramento
and east of I-5. It's best known for holding a crawdad festival each
year, but tough times forced the city to cancel the event last year.
There was a real concern the city would go bankrupt.



In walks a medical marijuana idea.



To help stop a gaping budget deficit, the city decided to accept a
proposal to allow some city land to be used to grow medical pot.



Delta Allied Growers will build a 4,000-square-foot indoor medical
marijuana nursery on a tiny piece of property inside the Isleton city
limits.



The grower will pay the city either three percent of its profits or
$25,000 -- whichever is bigger. That's a minimum of $300,000 a year of
new revenue, but it could bring in as much as $600,000. Either way it
is a significant bump in the city's general fund.



But wait! There's more:



In addition to the taxes and fees, the growers have agreed to install
security cameras anywhere in town that the Isleton police chief
chooses. It will also buy the police department a new mainframe
computer and new laptops so they can monitor the cameras anytime
anywhere.



The proposal is something no other California city has tried and it
will surely be watched up and down the Golden State.

[pearlemae]

Lets hope it works and given todays economy more and more cities and towns across the nation will see the light or spark. what ever lights your bowl.

Cool! Nice post.

[Eugenics]

It's a glimmer of hope, but the other shoe hasn't dropped, either..

When was the last time my/your government did something rational?

[David762]

Thank you, thank you LAION, for this little piece of good news regarding Isleton, CA.

In the aftermath of the failure of CA Prop 19 to pass in November 2010, the cacophony of new increasingly repressive measures against Medical Marijuana has been disheartening.

The municipality of Isleton is to be congratulated for their liberal "outside-the-box" solution to an economic reality which is hurting so many localities. If only such a "moment of clarity" would overcome the urge of closet fascists and prohibitionists everywhere to remain in their irrational mode of repressive Police State tactics.

[bterzz]

"The grower will pay the city either three percent of its profits or
$25,000 -- whichever is bigger. That's a minimum of $300,000 a year of
new revenue, but it could bring in as much as $600,000. Either way it
is a significant bump in the city's general fund."


I thought MMJ was "not-for-profit" ... how are you gonna give the city profits, when you aren't supposed to be making any.

I'm for the idea completely, and its good to see discussion like this rise, I just don't see how the city can give the O-K to break state law.

Would also seem like an easy target for the FEDs?

and I may be missing something, if so feel free to educate me.

[David762]

Originally Posted by bterzz

"The grower will pay the city either three percent of its profits or
$25,000 -- whichever is bigger. That's a minimum of $300,000 a year of
new revenue, but it could bring in as much as $600,000. Either way it
is a significant bump in the city's general fund."


I thought MMJ was "not-for-profit" ... how are you gonna give the city profits, when you aren't supposed to be making any.

I'm for the idea completely, and its good to see discussion like this rise, I just don't see how the city can give the O-K to break state law.

Would also seem like an easy target for the FEDs?

and I may be missing something, if so feel free to educate me.

I guess the real question is: Is the municipality counting [ "profits" as (gross income) minus (IRS approved deductions) ]?

[keyplay]

Hope the Feds don't put their filthy hands in this.....GOOD LUCK Isleton! really hope they are left alone

[FreezerBoy]

In addition to the taxes and fees, the growers have agreed to install
security cameras anywhere in town that the Isleton police chief
chooses.

I vote NO.

[bluekush]

this seems along the same lines as the oakland thing and isn't that on the back burner since the feds have been sending letters telling them they would go after them. I guess we will see what happens.