Municipalities across southwest Michigan are about to be seeing green for selling green.
More than 3.5 million dollars is headed to communities in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties this week as The Michigan Department of Treasury announced it will be distributing a total of $59.5 million to 224 cities, townships and counties across the state.
Each city, township or village will see $51,841.21 per licensed marijuana retail business, with each county government also being awarded $51,841.21 per business within its borders. In Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties, 34 such businesses were licensed as of September 30, 2022 – which means $3,525,202.28 will be distributed locally.
See below to see how much each Berrien, Cass and Van Buren County municipality received:
Berrien County | 15 businesses | $777,618.15
- City of Benton Harbor | 3 businesses | $155,523.63
- City of Buchanan | 5 businesses | $259,206.05
- City of Niles| 4 businesses | $207,364.84
- Village of Three Oaks | 1 business | $51,841.21
- Watervliet Township | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
Cass County | 6 businesses | $311,047.26
- Village of Cassopolis | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
- Village of Edwardsburg | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
- Marcellus Township | 1 business | $51,841.21
- Village of Marcellus | 1 business | $51,841.21
Van Buren County | 13 businesses | $673,935.73
- Almena Township | 1 business | $51,841.21
- City of Bangor | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
- Village of Breedsville | 1 business | $51,841.21
- Village of Decatur | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
- City of Hartford | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
- Village of Lawrence | 2 businesses | $103,682.42
- Paw Paw Township | 3 businesses | $155,523.63
“Municipalities and counties will begin seeing these payments appear in their banking accounts,” State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. “Through a partnership, the dollars received from the adult-use marijuana taxes and fees are distributed to our participating communities.”
Revenue was collected from 574 licensees among the state’s cities, villages and townships during the 2022 fiscal year. In total, there was $198.4 million available for distribution from the Marihuana Regulation Fund.
These distributions will cover the taxes and fees collected in state Fiscal Year 2022 under the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act. As a part of the Act, revenue is distributed as follows, after funding the first earmarked distributions:
- 15% to municipalities in which a marijuana retail store or a marijuana microbusiness is located, allocated in proportion to the number of marijuana retail stores and marijuana microbusinesses within the municipality.
- 15% to counties in which a marijuana retail store or a marijuana microbusiness is located, allocated in proportion to the number of marijuana retail stores and marijuana microbusinesses within the county.
- 35% to the School Aid Fund to be used for K-12 education.
- 35% to the Michigan Transportation Fund to be used for the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges.
Aside from the more than $59.5 million in disbursements to municipalities and counties, $69.4 million was sent to the School Aid Fund for K-12 education and another $69.4 million to the Michigan Transportation Fund.
In total, more than $1.8 billion in adult-use marijuana sales was reported for Fiscal Year 2022.
“The team at the CRA does an amazing job and our effective regulatory approach allows our licensees to provide Michigan’s cannabis consumers the safest possible product,” said CRA Executive Director Brian Hanna. “The funding that makes its way to local governments through the excise tax collected by licensed retailers is an important benefit of the regulated cannabis industry and the CRA is committed to doing our part in supporting our law-abiding licensees.”
Last year, $42.2 million was distributed among 163 municipalities and counties – more than $56,400 per store.
