ATHOL — State Sen. Anne Gobi tells the Athol Daily News that she does not support the changes in state law governing host community agreements between municipalities and cannabis businesses that are proposed in an omnibus bill being reviewed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Gobi, who serves as Athol’s voice in the Senate until January, is a member of Ways and Means.
On Tuesday of this week, Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski and members of the town’s Selectboard expressed their own opposition to the measure, which, if passed, would likely result in the loss of substantial amounts of revenue pledged to the town in the HCAs signed by seven cannabis businesses that have set up shop in Athol. The legislation proposes to make any new provisions retroactive to 2016, the year voters in the vast majority of Massachusetts cities and towns cast ballots in favor of legalizing “recreational” marijuana sales.
Increased revenues from sales taxes and community impact fees was used by proponents to sell passage of the ballot question.
“I do not support provisions in the omnibus bill relating to changes to host community agreements (HCAS),” Gobi said in an exchange of emails.
“As you know, most communities that voted in favor of the ballot question and subsequently acted locally to allow this burgeoning industry had potential financial benefits from it as a central tenet to that decision.”
Gobi said she wants to see all existing HCAs remain in effect, unchanged. She also called for increasing the local option sales tax from 3 percent to 6 percent.
She also said she wants to “look prospectively at future HCAs and remove financial components (community impact fees) in future HCAs.” An increase in the sales tax would mitigate the need to negotiate community impact fees.”
Finally, Gobi said host community agreements should not require review by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission;
“As you’d expect, anything enacted to address HCAs retroactively — as the bill proposes — will just create numerous new lawsuits related to constitutionality and contract law,” she concluded.
As Athol Selectboard Chair Rebecca Bialecki noted, the main sponsors of the bills that have been tied together in the omnibus legislation are from eastern Massachusetts. They include state senators Julian Cyr of Truro, Susan Moran of Falmouth, Patricia Jehlen of Somerville, Nick Collins of Boston, and Diana DiZoglio of Methuen, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for state auditor.
Email and voicemail messages left for state Sen. Jo Comerford, who will represent Athol and other North Quabbin communities currently served by Sen. Gobi, had not been returned by deadline. The Athol Daily News will continue to reach out to her for comment on this issue.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com