July 14: Garfield Heights City Council
Covered by Documentre Annie Maglicic (notes)
‘Show me the money’
Garfield Heights City Council unanimously passed an ordinance urging the state government to release the city’s Cannabis Excise Tax Funds to them.
What are Cannabis Excise Tax Funds? Ohio adds a 10% tax on all marijuana sales (that’s in addition to the usual sales tax). Those taxes are totaled, and then 36% of that total will go to cities and townships that have opted to approve marijuana dispensaries in their jurisdictions. Garfield Heights has one dispensary.
But state legislators have not yet voted to distribute the money, and no distribution system is in place. Ohio has collected more than $30 million in special marijuana sales taxes since last year, according to state officials.
As of March, the City of Cleveland is owed around $410,000 in 2024 marijuana tax revenue it also has not received.
Said Garfield Heights Mayor Matt Burke, “As a host city, we have tax dollars coming to us that are owed to us, and we want that money, along with any other host city, they want their money as well.”
Moratorium on cannabis dispensaries and new bars
Garfield Heights City Council unanimously approved an ordinance imposing a moratorium on issuing licenses and permits for new alcohol-related establishments, a move Mayor Burke said “I’m sure we all support.”
A current moratorium on cannabis dispensaries was extended by ordinance, also unanimously approved. “We really only have one person that is already grandfathered in, but we don’t want to see these establishments that are just popping up out of nowhere.”
Speed humps ready for install across Garfield
Speed humps are coming to Garfield Heights streets this summer. A representative from Innoplast, a company located in Garfield Heights that produces the speed humps, brought one to the council meeting and answered council members’ questions about installation, removal and cost.
Mayor Burke said Garfield’s pilot speed hump project is “a very welcome compromise with the residents who have complained about speeders.”
Garfield Heights Chief of Staff Jeffrey Jerome told residents the speed humps arrived the previous week, and locations were still being determined by Garfield Heights Police. Jerome said council members will receive a list of locations where the speed humps will be placed so they can inform their residents.
