LUDLOW, Vt. – After losing by 17 votes in the Nov. 2 balloting to decide whether Ludlow will opt-in for cannabis retails sales, Andi Goldman and Meredith Milliken of Gotta Love Ludlow are petitioning for a revote on the issue.
As they were recovering from their disappointment in the results of the vote – with 179 voting “no” versus 162 voting “yes” – many business leaders and local residents reached out to the duo and encouraged them to keep fighting.
According to Goldman, several people said they didn’t realize there was a vote scheduled for Nov. 2 on the issue, one day after a well-attended informational meeting on the topic at Town Hall. This go around, they plan on casting a wider net, continue hearing concerns and answering questions, and work even harder to get out information on the date and time of the revote, once it has been scheduled by the town.
According to Vermont State Statute 17 V.S.A § 2661, citizens may request a revote within 30 days of the original vote, with the number of signatures required exceeding 5% of the eligible voters. For Ludlow, that required number is 85 signatures. The town then must act on scheduling the revote within 60 days.
Ludlow Municipal Manager Scott Murphy said that the Selectboard would likely try to align the revote with Town Meeting day, to not only attract the most voters but also the town would not have to pay any additional money to set up a special vote.
In order for the decision to be reversed, the number of votes for the re-petitioners must exceed two-thirds of the original number of votes cast for the prevailing side in the first vote. In this case, not only must “yes” votes to opt-in for retail cannabis sales be the majority, but there must also be at least 135 “yes” votes.
As of Tuesday morning, Goldman and Milliken have collected over 100 signatures and plan to file their petition with the town sometime this week.
When asked why they don’t just move on to another town with their proposal, Goldman and Milliken both agree that there is one simple answer to that question. “This is our town and although we firmly believe we will also help the region, it’s the town with the dispensary that will most directly benefit by receiving direct revenue, as well as increased jobs and traffic for other businesses,” said Goldman.
Both Milliken and Goldman agree that they also need to clarify some crucial information better for voters, particularly when it comes to direct compensation for the town, a topic that seemed to confuse town officials as well as residents during the first informational meeting.
The Vermont Cannabis Control Board released their recommendations to Vermont State Legislature in a report dated Oct. 15, which recommends that that the State Legislature directs 1-2% of the state excise tax on retail sales to the towns where the sales occur.
In the same document, they forecast state cannabis adult use sales to reach approximately $221 million by 2024, which with an estimated 70 dispensaries statewide, would average $3.2 million per location. With that projection, 2% would equal over $60,000 for the town.
Goldman expects Ludlow, with its well-established tourist destination status, would exceed that number and has projected $5 million in sales, which would deliver closer to $100,000 to the town.
Ludlow Municipal Manager Scott Murphy said he had not seen the recommendation from the Vermont Cannabis Control Board’s for the Legislature to provide for 1-2% of sales to go directly to the town but agreed it could persuade some voters.
He added that an excise tax is taxed to the merchant on a per item basis and is almost always passed onto the consumer and that Vermont has one of the highest per capita excise tax rates in the nation already.
Now, with the VCCB recommendation, GLL hopes it will help to assure voters that there is a direct financial benefit for the town, in addition to increased business traffic and jobs.
In the process for the first vote, GLL learned a lot about the concerns of Ludlow residents by following opposition campaigns, particularly from Black River Area Community Coalition, and reading different letters to the editor on the subject. They acknowledge that in addition to town compensation, product safety versus the illicit market, public safety, and concerns about youth use are all topics they’ll need to keep addressing and informing voters about if they want a different outcome for the vote.
Until then, Milliken and Goldman will keep spreading the word about retail cannabis, dispelling myths, clarifying issues, and delivering on their tagline, “Knowledge is Power” until the revote happens. “We feel it’s our civic duty for the town we love,” Goldman said.