Monmouth will now allow up to two adult-use cannabis businesses to operate within city limits.
City administrator Lew Steinbrecher said this is in response to interest from a developer who’s already been granted a state cannabis license for the western Illinois region.
“They ultimately, at least at this point, have selected Monmouth to take a serious look at in terms of establishing a store or a dispensary here in this area,” Steinbrecher said.
The developer’s interest led to a city council discussion about cannabis ordinances at a committee of the whole meeting in November.
Then the council on Monday voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.
City officials don't know where the developer wants to put the dispensary, but the ordinance does include some restrictions on location. They would have to be in commercial or manufacturing zoned districts and be at least 500 feet from schools and daycares.
They would also have to be north of Clinton Avenue or south of Third Avenue.
“That keeps the locations out of the downtown,” Steinbrecher said.
The council also approved a companion ordinance establishing a 3 percent tax on the sale of cannabis.
Steinbrecher said preliminary calculations for the developer’s project, should it move forward, would generate around $135,000 in annual revenue for the city.
Dispensaries are already in operation in cities in several neighboring counties in west central Illinois, including Galesburg, Macomb, and Canton.
