KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Independence Mayor Rory Rowland posed a question at a Monday press conference on a proposed sales tax on recreational marijuana sales.
"We tax pot roast, why not tax pot?'" he said.
KSHB 41 found fixing the city's infrastructure is at the top of Independence residents lists of what to do with the money if the sales tax passes.
"For independence, it definitely needs infrastructure, like road repairs," Blake Walters said.
Blue Springs Mayor Carson Ross found his city's residents feel the same way.
"The number-one priority for citizens on a citizen survey, streets," he said.
The sales tax on recreational marijuana will be on most ballots twice.
That would allow a tax on recreational marijuana of three-percent for counties and another three-percent for cities.
For Independence, that could mean an extra $600,000 per-year.
"So that is going to be quite a bit of revenue," Mayor Rowland said.
The general consensus of most governments is to put the money into its general fund so the money can be used for anything.
Independence city leaders tossed around the idea of putting the money towards public safety and replacing a crumbling police building.
The city council has not decided on that yet.
The uncertainty has left some voters undecided.
"I mean, I'm leaning more towards yes, but I just haven't really made a full decision," Brady Thompson said. "Because we don't have a say as to right now where it's going to go to. If they had more of an idea where the money was going to go, I might have more of an idea of how I was going to vote to be honest."
