Rockford City Council approves resolution to cannabis fund
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - In the form of an 11 to 2 vote, the Rockford City Council approves to allocate money from the cannabis fund to help support programs.
“We wanted to garner revenue and make it into something positive in our city,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said.
“Some of the items listed in the ordinance created a vagarity as to how the funds will be used and as such how do you measure the effectiveness?” 1st Ward Alderperson Tim Durkee said.
Durkee says his “no” vote comes doesn’t come from the intent of the program, rather he feels the policy could be more direct.
“My second point was to apply this money more for economic development there’s some areas in the city that are challenged they’re struggling,” Durkee said.
The resolution will allocate funds to specific programs that address issues like gun violence and poverty. 9th Ward Alderperson Bill Rose supports it, he believes it could help expunge some marijuana charges.
“It’s a pretty big win,” Rose said. “Hopefully we can move forward as a community and address the key inequity components that are associated with marijuana.”
To receive funding each program would need to be approved by the city council where members would decide who gets what.
“The objective is to make this program as effective for Rockford as we can,” Durkee said.
No programs or initiatives have been targeted for the fund yet, but the city believes this will aid in efforts to invest in underserved areas in the region.
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