Cannabis Company Projected to Bring Revenue and Jobs to Hazel Crest
Cannabis Company Projected to Bring Revenue and Jobs to Hazel Crest (Hazel Crest, IL) — The administrative meeting of Hazel Crest had several presentations about the renewal of health benefits, the 2022 tax levy, and a new cannabis business for the area.
The presentation from Bob Dreyfuss was to make the case of a building purchase for a cannabis infuser. A cannabis infuser is essentially a commercial kitchen that buys cannabis oil in bulk from a cultivation center and fill it in a product. According to Dreyfuss, the plans are to work with gummies, mints, and beverages.
The presentation also included plans for local job creation, economic impact, community charitable giving and investment in public safety programs.
According to their report, an estimated 21 jobs will be available within the first year, with a salary of $77,641 per job which includes benefits and payroll taxes. The number of jobs is expected to grow to 27 over a three-year period. The numbers were based off the success of states like Colorado, with consideration of Chicago’s population and the 185 dispensaries that will be active by next year.
“We want to hire from this community, and we want to make sure it is bringing back jobs and essential revenue back to the community,” said Dreyfuss.
The Hazel Crest zoning ordinances for cannabis companies only include dispensaries and would need to be updated to include an infuser. The process is that the zoning ordinance would be updated to include language about the infuser. Then it would be presented to the public hearing. Lastly, the village board would vote whether to amend the ordinances.
During the regular village board meeting, only a few items were presented for each village staff.
During the city manager’s report, Director of Public Works Charles Dryer commented on the water issues the city experienced the past weekend. For 20 hours, residents in certain areas had low water pressure due to an outdated system.
“We lost about a million gallons, which is accumulated to an entire day in the summertime,” says Dryer.
Dryer says the public works department is working on updating the system, as well as finding better ways to inform residents about situations like this when they occur.
As a follow up, Fire Chief Tyrone Jarrett spoke about an emergency app called “Code Red”. The app sends out text notifications about emergencies or other urgent situations. In particular, the system can notify regions of the community, areas, blocks, with emergencies and work in the area, such as with public works.
The police department highlighted their completion of use of force training, with plans to complete CPR training within the next month. They will be recruiting for entry-level testing in January 2022 and for a sergeant exam in March 2022. A budget was created for body cameras and the timeline for ordering them is pending.
Other items on the agenda included:
- A presentation from Horton Group on Village of Hazel Crest Renewal Options for Health Benefits.
- A presentation of the fiscal year 2021 Treasurer’s Report
- An approved motion for an Intergovernmental agreement for the provision of environmental health inspectional services
- Calendar for Administrative & Regular Board Meeting for 2022
Cannabis Company Projected to Bring Revenue and Jobs to Hazel Crest
Responses