Bloom Brothers is one of three cannabis retailers that sued the city over ‘unreasonable’ host agreements. The council approved a settlement of $786,000 with the companies.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city will refund a sum of more than $786,000 to three local cannabis dispensaries for allegedly “unreasonable” Host Community Agreement fees, a lawsuit that has popped up around the state.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved the transfer and appropriation of $786,625 from free cash for the legal settlement that is years in the making. Temescal Wellness will receive $360,375, Berkshire Roots $341,000, and Bloom Brothers $85,250 as legal settlements for the repayment of a portion of fees collected between the fiscal years 2019 and 2022.
Officials report that Pittsfield has so far gotten the “best deal” in the state, representing a 77.5 percent reimbursement.
“Like many communities in Massachusetts that were faced with the lawsuits for community host agreements, we had been served by all three cannabis companies and settled it,” Mayor Peter Marchetti explained.
“We took all the information in the court into account and was able to negotiate the best deal so far that we’ve seen in the commonwealth.”
He said the settling is less than what each of the
