COLUMBUS, Ohio - Local leaders are coming together to oppose a section in the Ohio state budget and Senate Bill 56. Both pieces of legislation look to lower the amount of money communities get from recreational marijuana dispensaries from what was originally promised.

“We will not be silent, we will not stop, we will not be ignored and we will continue to fight for what our communities were promised from the beginning and what we rightfully deserve,” Mayor Catherine Miller of Struthers said. 

Municipalities that have recreational marijuana dispensaries get a percentage of the sales money through an excise tax. The original proposal was for 36% of the money from the tax to go back to local communities.

Now, Senate Bill 56 looks to lower that to 25% and limit municipalities to only be able to accept it for seven years. The state budget is even lower to 20% with a five year limit.

“That's still a slap in the face, that's not what was promised, it’s not sustainable and it’s not right,” State Representative Lauren McNally (D-58) said. 

Local leaders said they were planning on using the money for things like parks, road improvements and infrastructure updates. Without it, they might have to go back to the taxpayer to fund those projects.

“It seems like year after year less funding comes back to our communities less funding is coming back to the Mahoning Valley,” Mayor Steve Mientkiewcz of Niles said. 

Youngstown, Hubbard, Struthers, Warren and Niles have already allowed dispensaries to move in. None of the municipalities have received funding from the excise tax yet.

Mayor Miller said she feels betrayed by the state because of the proposed change. Mayor Doug Franklin of Warren shared the same tone.

“This is nothing more than a shotty attempt to undermine the will of the voters. I’m just going to call it as it is and it’s a travesty,” Mayor Franklin said. “We can’t stand by and let this happen.” 

The conversations of whether to allow dispensaries into the community was a long back and forth between individual administrators, some eventually giving in for the sole purpose of the money they would get from the tax. The city of Girard does not have a store yet but have been working with dispensaries to move one in.

“I couldn’t start a factory with 500 jobs tomorrow that would bring in the same kind of revenue as one dispensary will...I think the state once they saw how much revenue was involved and other communities started hearing about the revenue involved then they started changing their tune,” Mayor Mark Zuppo of Girard said.

State Representatives McNally and Tex Fisher (R-59) both said they oppose the proposed change and will be voting against them as they come up in Columbus.

“At a time when we’re dealing with a multi-hundred billion dollar state budget we’re talking about a relatively small amount of dollars here but those dollars mean a lot at the local level versus what they do at the state level,” State Representative Fisher said.