The city commission adopted a policy to spend 35% of its excise tax revenues on a three-pronged social equity program, said Muskegon Planning Director Mike Franzak, who oversees the city’s marijuana businesses.
Last year, the city received $112,000 in excise tax on recreational marijuana sales, of which it is spending $39,200 on social equity.
The city could receive more in excise tax revenues from the state, which distributes the funds based on a community’s share of recreational marijuana retail licenses statewide.
The city has strict landscaping and streetlight requirements for dispensaries, and sometimes it’s more cost effective and uniform for the city to do some of the landscaping and decorative streetlight placement itself, Franzak said.
The city of Muskegon also allocated $13,720 for marijuana conviction expungement clinics, which haven’t been conducted yet and may be coordinated with clinics offered by Muskegon County, he said.
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