Will County Board to host public meeting on Monday, October 3rd at the County Office Building to gather ideas on Cannabis spending

The Will County Board is holding a public meeting on Monday, October 3rd from 7:00 pm at the  County Office Building – 302 N. Chicago Street in Joliet to gather public input from residents on how Will  County’s share of the Cannabis Retailers Occupation Tax should be spent in Will County.  

“The County Board has been discussing how best to spend the cannabis tax revenues that have been  collected and we want engage with a larger audience before making additional decisions on these funds,” said  Board Speaker Mimi Cowan. “Whether residents can attend or send in a comment, we want to include all  voices in the decisions on how to spend the revenue generated from the legal sale of marijuana.” 

What: Public Meeting to gather public input on the expenditure of cannabis tax funds When: Monday, October 3, 2022 7:00 pm  

Where: Will County Office Building – 302 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432 Note: Speakers will be capped at 3 minutes per speaker  

Submit electronic public comments at: [email protected] 

The local use tax was approved by the County Board in December 2019 after the Illinois General  Assembly allowed the recreational use of cannabis. Public Act 101-0027 authorized counties to impose a tax  upon the sale of cannabis. At the most recent reporting, Will County had collected over $2.6 million dollars  in total cannabis taxes. 

“The previous prohibition on cannabis use had negative impacts to some communities through the  criminal justice system and related effects,” said Majority Leader Meta Mueller. “The Board wants to ensure  that these tax funds are spent appropriately based on the input from residents in these impacted communities.” 

The County Board allocated $500,000 of cannabis money to support the Will County Child Advocacy  Center at the September Board Meeting. The CAC supports The Will County Children’s Advocacy Center and  its partners are the front-line responders to reports of sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, sexual exploitation,  child pornography, neglect, and exposure to violence of children, ages 3-17, in Will County, Illinois. 

“As a strong supporter of the Child Advocacy Center I am very happy that we were able to support  the staff who do the work dealing with very difficult situations at the CAC,” said Minority Leader Mike  Fricilone. “Providing these funds will strengthen the work of the CAC in all the communities throughout Will  County.”