Darien Official’s Marijuana Assertion Questioned

DARIEN, IL – A Darien alderman’s assertion that the local marijuana dispensary brings in “only about” $40,000 a year has come under question.

In Patch’s recent candidate questionnaire, Ward 1 Alderman Ted Schauer put forward the number, saying a dispensary would never be worth having in Darien. His rival, John Mayrens, also opposes such a store.

It turns out the $40,000 was rounded from $35,000, which is what the city got from the state in a year. The state distributes marijuana tax income to all towns, regardless of whether they have dispensaries.

A 5 percent sales tax at High Haven, which opened in 2023, goes to Darien, according to the city. Under state law, though, officials cannot release sales taxes generated by a particular business. That is considered proprietary because such information would reveal how much a business makes.

After Patch published the questionnaire, Ward 6 Alderman Eric Gustafson questioned the number. He said Schauer was only counting what the state gives, not local tax income.

“The dollars are material,” Gustafson said in an email. “I strongly stand by my previous vote for there to be a marijuana store in Darien.”

In an emailed response, Schauer said he was referring to the line item for the state allotment, which he rounded to $40,000. He acknowledged the city gets income specifically from High Haven, but that information for a particular business is unavailable.

Schauer, who opposed allowing a dispensary, said Darien’s entire sales tax income increased to $7.4 million in budget year 2024, up from $7.1 million two years before.

“(S)ince we do not have access to individual business numbers, any number that I could have used would be inaccurate,” Schauer said. “I could have been more specific on my questionnaire about the breakdown in revenue, but again, with having no access to the specific sales tax from the dispensary, any numbers would have been wrong.”

Schauer said he would not speculate on why Gustafson reached out to Patch two weeks before the election.

“Alderman Gustafson once stated in a city council meeting, that he believed that (a dispensary) would generate between 800k-900k sales tax revenue,” Schauer said. “I am curious if he still believes his numbers are accurate. The bottom line is that Alderman Gustafson believes that having a marijuana dispensary is worth it, and I believe it is not.”

The Darien City Council voted 4-3 in 2019 to allow a dispensary in town.

“I believe discussions like this make for healthy government; I just hope in the future it would be done in a council meeting,” Schauer said.

Gustafson declined to respond to Schauer’s statement.