NORTHAMPTON — The city’s tax revenue from marijuana businesses declined once again last fiscal year, and the city will look to lower its revenue projections in the current fiscal year that began July 1.

Revenues from adult-use marijuana sales in fiscal 2023 were $846,000, compared to $1.15 million in the previous year. The city imposes a 3% levy on cannabis sales in Northampton, meaning that dispensaries sold about $28 million worth of goods, a 27% decrease from the previous year and nearly 50% lower from sales three years ago.

At August’s City Council meeting, Finance Director Charlene Nardi said that once again, tax revenue from cannabis failed to meet the city’s projections in the final quarter of fiscal 2023, which ended June 30.

“I don’t know if we’ve hit the bottom for our market share or not. My guess is no,” Nardi said. “I have dropped that revenue projection for next year and my hope is that I will actually make it for this year that we’re living in right now.”

Northampton currently has 11 marijuana dispensaries within its borders, ranking it second among all Massachusetts cities only behind Boston. The city earlier this year capped the number of dispensaries at 12, despite opposition from the mayor’s office.

While cannabis tax revenue was down for the city, other forms of tax revenue, such as from restaurants and hotel lodgings, steadily rose for this fiscal year, bringing in more than $1.7 million combined for the city.

The city received $779,000 in meals tax revenue for the 2023 fiscal year, an increase of 12% from the previous year. Hotel lodging tax brought around $971,000 in revenue, a more than 40% increase from the previous year, a sign hotels are seeing a return in business after struggling during the pandemic.

Trager memorial to
get four new honorees

The Eva Trager memorial statue on Northampton’s Main Street is adding four new posthumous honorees to acknowledge the impact their lives have had on the city’s downtown.

The names being added to the memorial are Marcia Burick, former assistant to the mayor under the administration of Dave Musante from 1980 to 1986; Henry DeTurck, the late owner and manager of Cahill and Hodges clothing store; James LaSalle, who owned LaSalle Florists; and Don Miller, the founder of the Northampton Rental Center.

The honorees are named by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, with the statue, depicting an owl, originally created in honor of Eva Trager, who owned the Country Comfort store and was known as the “Queen of Main Street” for her advocacy for the city’s downtown before her death in 2011.

“The Eva Trager Memorial represents the visionaries, ambassadors, and movers and shakers who lived a life of passion and service in a way that leaves us all inspired,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the Chamber in a statement. “They set a standard for innovation and creativity, and downtown Northampton continues to thrive because of the inroads and investments that these honorees made in our community.”

A memorial ceremony is planned for Friday at 4 p.m. in front of the memorial statue at 157 Main St., the former location of Country Comfort, in downtown Northampton.

New logo at Forbes

Forbes Library is now sporting a new logo and tagline, hoping to better reflect the role it plays in serving the city.

According to Lisa Downing, the director of Forbes Library, the logo is inspired by the shape of the sandstone arch over the front doors and also suggests the open pages of a book. The library worked with strategic brand consultant Seth Gregory to develop the new logo, according to Downing.

“This new visual identity seeks to reflect the fact that Forbes Library is much more than a building,” said Downing in a statement. “It is a welcoming community hub where people can gather to find solace, resources, and inspiration.”

In addition to its main library, the building also hosts the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum, Hosmer Gallery and the Hampshire Room for Local History. Several film screenings, art galleries and guest talks have been hosted by the library in recent years.

The library is looking to expand the number of people serving on its board of trustees for the first time since the 1980s, with the City Council unanimously approving an order to petition the state Legislature for permission to amend the number of trustees from five to seven. As the library was willed to the city, the request must also be approved by the probate court system before being sent to the Legislature.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com

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