Mead Town Board sends tax, pot questions to voters

MEAD — Voters in Mead this election cycle will have the power to raise money for the police department and bring recreational and medical marijuana establishments to town.

The Mead Town Board on Monday approved ballot issues for both items unanimously with no discussion.

The first ballot issue will be to raise the city’s sales tax rate by one percentage point to a total of 4%, which is expected to earn from $1.8 million to $1.9 million in 2025 if voters approve it. The extra money will pay for additional police officers, school resources officers and police equipment, and it will enable the department to increase community policing.

The second ballot question would allow the town to establish a limited number of medical and recreational marijuana shops in town. This will be the third time in five years that the question will be put before voters, each time failing — it lost in 2019 by a margin 662 votes to 1,046, and in 2021 it failed 657 to 1,006.

If voters approve the ballot issue, that will enable the town’s attorney to craft regulations to govern said businesses in town. Mead town attorney Marcus McAskin told the board on Monday night that he could craft language by the first part of 2025 and have them finalized for board review in the second quarter of 2025.

Correction: This story was been updated to reflect that the ballot issue, if passed, would raise the city’s sales tax rate by one percentage point to a total of 4%. BizWest regrets the error.

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