PIMA — The Pima Town Council found itself in an unusual situation Tuesday, having to amend its proposed budget due to an influx of cash.
Town Manager Sean Lewis explained the town received its first state-shared revenue from the 17-percent tax on the sale of marijuana for recreational use, and the town can expect to receive about $3,000 each month.
That led to a more than 30-minute discussion about where that money should go.
“I wanted a long discussion on it; that’s why I said, ‘I think we need to have a full discussion on it,’ ” Lewis said. “I believe that we have to have a very consensus idea of what we’re going to do with it. I don’t what it to be just what I think we should do with it, or just the mayor. I think we need to have an overall idea.”
Lewis suggested that, since Graham County voted against the legalization of marijuana, the money from marijuana sales could be used for anti-drug initiatives, such as the House of House, the Graham County Substance Abuse Coalition, the Police Department as well as youth diversion programs.
Council members Deborah Barr and Sherrill Teeter favored using the funds to assist local families in need when it comes to extra expenses involving their children, such as establishing scholarships to pay youth sports and other extra-curricular activity fees for programs such as band and National Honor Society.
Other suggestions included using the funds to improve the town’s parks, helping pay for equipment for the town’s youth programs, paying for youth meals in school and simply saving the money.
Lewis said he expects the plan to change as more money comes in.
“This is something we’ve never had before and, because of where the money is coming from, people are going to have different thoughts about it. So I think it’s absolutely going to grow, it’s going to change and I think it going to be kind of a living being. We’re just going to have to figure out where it goes from here,” Lewis said.
