St. Joe’s High Hopes: Pot Profits to Pave the Way for Progress

(KNSI) — The City of St. Joseph hopes to help offset its tax base with a joint venture into the budding marijuana industry by opening a municipal dispensary.

St. Joseph Mayor Adam Scepaniak explained to KNSI News how a municipal dispensary would allow them to have their cake and eat it, too. “We want to tax our residents less, but we still want to keep doing cool, groovy things in St. Joseph. We want to improve the town. We want to make it a better city for everybody here, but we don’t want to burden you with more taxes.”

Scepaniak says with legalization, the city can’t stop the tide, and it’s better to ride the wave. “We understand that this is something that’s in front of society right now, and you can either be late to the party, or you can be an early adopter. We’d rather get in front of it [and] capture a lot of these tax dollars and just make it benefit our city.”

St. Joe hopes to use some of the funds for a new public safety building combining the police and fire into one place, improve crosswalks to make the city as walker-friendly as possible and expand Metro Bus service to the town.

According to a third-party report, a municipal marijuana shop could bring in between $5 million and $10 million in profit a year. A number, Scepaniak says, is optimistic.

While a location hasn’t been picked yet, Scepaniak says they will look to take over a vacant building or lot rather than spend money to build a store.

St. Joseph is one of nearly half a dozen that applied for a license from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management in March. Officials say they should find out by mid-June if they’re approved.

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