The problem is that recreational sales account for the vast majority of revenue for stores, and since medical marijuana is not taxed, revenues to the state and the municipalities that host the stores have dried up during the shutdown.
Town moderator Michael Wise said he thought it was important that the budget be passed by Tuesday, June 30, even if the other items of the annual town meeting warrant were pushed aside until restrictions on large gatherings were lifted.
Proposals for how to use the cannabis revenue windfall will be discussed by the selectboard and the finance committee in the upcoming deliberations for next year's budget, with voters having the final say on how to spend free cash at the annual town meeting in May.
The Berkshire Hills school committee is expected to vote Thursday night to approve its own spending proposal of $26.2 million. The vote to approve it is almost a foregone conclusion after last week's quiet and harmonious public hearing.
Brian Vincent and Andy Vincent of Commonwealth Cultivation are looking to establish a retail marijuana outlet at 82 Railroad St., a property that overlooks the Taconic parking lot where 14 years ago State Police under District Attorney David Capeless conducted a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of more than a dozen teenagers for possessing pot.
In anticipation that there could be more such establishments approaching the town in the future, the selectboard is trying to come up with a template that will serve as a model for all host agreements that might come up.
