Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

34 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 is another area of focus, with land being sold for commercial development. Gomez acknowledges, “We have a local developer that did acquire a large corner parcel. I know they are looking at adding a grocery store, restaurant, and gas station. That will be great, being in that Opportunity Zone they will be able to get some tax credits for any work that they do there.” To support future growth, Farmersville has just completed an expansion of their wastewater treatment plant – the largest capital project the city has undergone to date. The new facility, which is operated by Central Cal waterworks, was built with future expansion in mind. “It is increasing our capacity quite a bit, to where we can support new subdivisions, new businesses, and industrial users. So, we are not going to have any concerns about that for many years to come,” Gomez asserts. The introduction of two Cannabis dispensaries has been a welcome revenue source for Farmersville. At the two-year mark, the city is expecting to receive $1.4 million annually in revenue from these operations. Gomez shares, “In 2017 the residents had a ballot measure where they approved a business tax on any cannabis businesses here. A 5% tax was established for the dispensaries; they pay us 5% of their gross sales and we get the sales tax on top of that.” Situated away from schools and residential areas, Gomez feels the city did an excellent job of choosing locations, making them accessible to both residents and customers from other communities. After reviewing a large selection of permit applicants, there was a lengthy vetting process, with the city finally settling on two ideal candidates to open dispensaries in Farmersville. “They are people that are from the Tulare County area,” says Gomez. “So, they are local, they care about Farmersville and want to have successful businesses here. Both have expressed interest in expanding their floorspace because they are