Mayor Mobolade vetoes marijuana sales tax amendment
'It's this is just the beginning of a long series of conversations about where our dollars are going to come from for all the services required in our city,' said Councilmember Nancy Henjum.
City Council passed the resolution during their last regular meeting on July 8th. In a 6-3 vote, council members voted to have a say in who can get the money.
'An ordinance like this gives council an opportunity to focus dollars on a specific problem and not have it get lost in the broader, broader picture,' said Councilmember Tom Bailey.
Mayor Mobolade disagrees, saying in a statement that the change would undermine the current process of creating the city's budget by 'creating an unnecessary and unauthorized level of bureaucracy.'
In a joint statement, city council responded to the mayor's comments, saying, 'any attempt to frame this as City Council 'usurping' authority is political theater.'
But not all council members agree, despite passing the resolution. Councilmember Dave Donelson spoke out and said the process should not change for allocating money, but that part of the solution is in enforcing laws to address some issues being brought up in the city.
'I think a big part of this solution is going to have to be simply the willingness to lock people up for breaking our laws,' Donelson said. 'Is that great? Is that ideal? No. But in the world we are in, that's part of the solution.
Mayor Mobolade also believes investments should primarily go toward public safety, while the council says funds can also be used for mental health and PTSD programs.
Either way, the council and Mayor Mobolade will have more time to talk about allocating money, as Mobolade says there is currently $1.4 million in the city's marijuana sales tax fund.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Rising Inflation Underscores Risks in Trump's New Tariff Threats
President Trump's steep tariffs have started to weigh on consumers' wallets, sending prices higher as the White House readies a more drastic — and potentially costly — expansion of its global trade war. The risks in Mr. Trump's economic strategy began to show on Tuesday, with the release of data that found inflation had accelerated in June. Prices rose noticeably on appliances, clothing and furniture, products that are all heavily exposed to the president's taxes on imports from Canada, China and other major trading partners. The inflation report undercut Mr. Trump's continued assertions that Americans would not face financial repercussions from his increasingly aggressive trade brinkmanship. Since taking office, the president has imposed withering duties on allies and adversaries alike, with additional taxes on a range of products such as cars and steel. The latest reading of the Consumer Price Index recorded the first signs of what economists had predicted all along, with U.S. businesses and consumers shouldering a growing share of the burden from the taxes Mr. Trump has imposed on imports. The data also carried perhaps a new warning for the president as he prepares another round of tariffs on dozens of countries in about two weeks, including a 30 percent tax on the European Union. Some experts said that an uptick in inflation could foreshadow more significant price increases later, especially if Mr. Trump proceeds as planned. 'Up until this report, you could have argued that inflation is on a journey lower,' said Padhraic Garvey, who leads ING's research team for the Americas. 'Now we are on a journey higher.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
Democrats 'accidentally' awakened a Gen Z rebellion they can no longer control, says Brett Cooper
Former President Barack Obama is urging Democrats to stop complaining and get involved, telling party members dissatisfied with its direction to "just toughen up." But one conservative podcaster says she doubts the younger generation will respond to that advice. "These new young Democrats coming in, they said actually something very similar to what Obama said," Fox News contributor and political commentator Brett Cooper told "America's Newsroom" on Tuesday. "They said it's time to start actually having solutions and to stop whining about what Republicans are doing and actually try to compete with them." Cooper noted a rising sense of frustration among Gen Z progressives who feel the Democratic Party isn't doing enough to contend with Republicans. It's a similar sentiment shared by former President Barack Obama during a fundraiser with Democratic donors last week. "I think it's going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it's going to require Democrats to just toughen up," said Obama, according to excerpts obtained by CNN. "Don't tell me you're a Democrat, but you're kind of disappointed right now, so you're not doing anything. No, now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something." Many younger Democrats have launched primary campaigns nationwide, looking to dethrone establishment Democrats. "One of the things that they've [Democrats] accidentally done right is infuriating young people," argued Cooper, who said upsetting Gen Z voters may have energized the base more. "Because Gen Z, as we know, they are very emotional, especially on the left. They want to be involved." There are a slew of young Democratic hopefuls looking to unseat older lawmakers. 25-year-old social media influencer and progressive activist Deja Foxx is among those young candidates with a chance at claiming a House seat. In an upset victory, she was able to win the Democratic Party's congressional primary for an Arizona House seat. The spot had been left empty following the death of Rep. Raul Grijalva in March. "I think by pissing them off, really, and screwing up the last election for the Democrats, that they've gotten a lot of younger people engaged," explained Cooper, who added that their increased participation stems from a desire to shift the party's direction. Cooper also said more young people are getting involved because of social media, something she believes Republicans have done a better job utilizing so far. "They saw what really worked with Trump. They saw what worked with JD Vance, of having authentic leaders who are speaking directly to the people, who are big on social media but actually feel like they're speaking directly to the public rather than just having a [communications team] run everything," she said. It's that online authenticity, Cooper said, that could lead younger Democrats to pose a larger threat in elections moving forward.
Washington Post
28 minutes ago
- Washington Post
As Waltz faces UN post hearings, an update on the Signal situation that led to his initial ousting
As Mike Waltz , President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations , appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday for his confirmation hearing, focus returns to his ousting as national security adviser over what some referred to as 'Signalgate.' The former Florida Republican congressman served mere weeks in Trump's administration before revelations that he mistakenly added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic to a private Signal chat that was used to discuss sensitive military plans , including planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen.
