HILLSDALE, N.J.—Almost five years ago, in the summer of 2021, all eight Pascack Valley municipalities voted to opt out of permitting any of the state’s six classes of cannabis business licenses—including retail dispensaries—with potential tax revenue not a major consideration at the time.
However, at a late-June town hall here, where the average property tax bill in 2026 has increased by more than $1,400 on a home assessed at $500,000, Mayor Michael Sheinfield raised several possible revenue-generating ideas, among them the possibility of allowing a hypothetical cannabis retail dispensary.
No such dispensary has been proposed in Hillsdale, however, nor did Sheinfield advocate for one during the June 30 town hall on local taxes.
Pascack Press also reached out to the borough’s newly formed Economic Development Committee to ask whether a question about a possible cannabis dispensary might be included in an upcoming survey of residents and businesses. The committee did not respond by press time.
The Economic Development Committee, composed of Councilmembers Melissa Mazza-Chiong, John Ruocco and Anthony DeRosa, plans to survey residents and businesses about the types of future development they would like to see in town.
Sheinfield repeatedly emphasized that he was not advocating for a dispensary. Instead, he said he was raising the topic alongside another potential revenue source—a monopole cell tower—as examples of ideas that have largely been dismissed because of public opposition.
During his June 30 presentation, the mayor estimated a dispensary could generate as much as $500,000 annually in local tax revenue, plus a one-time local licensing fee of approximately $100,000. Sheinfield also suggested that the first municipality in the Pascack Valley to permit a dispensary would likely enjoy the greatest economic benefit.
The Borough Council recently voted against allowing a fourth cell tower at the Stonybrook Swim Club following several public meetings where residents voiced concerns about property values, health impacts and aesthetics. However, residents in the borough’s eastern section argued that unreliable cell service poses a public safety risk by making it difficult to contact police, fire or emergency medical services during emergencies.
Sheinfield said a monopole cell tower could generate roughly $100,000 annually for the borough, including a $48,000 lease payment from the first wireless carrier, with additional lease revenue possible from other carriers.
No councilmember has publicly expressed interest in pursuing a dispensary or studying the potential tax revenue it might generate. Under the borough’s 2021 opt-out ordinance, however, officials may reconsider any of the state’s six classes of cannabis business licenses at any time. The same is true of every Pascack Valley municipality that opted out in 2021.
In May 2023, Woodcliff Lake established a Cannabis Exploratory Committee to study the possibility of allowing a dispensary, including pros and cons.
After a public meeting where residents overwhelmingly opposed the idea—and some argued that a dispensary would attract crime—the proposal stalled. No other Pascack Valley municipality has publicly explored or discussed permitting a cannabis dispensary since then.
A countywide review by Pascack Press found that only six of Bergen County’s 70 municipalities currently allow or host cannabis dispensaries: Carlstadt, Fort Lee, Garfield, Lodi, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook.
In addition to discussing a possible cannabis dispensary, Sheinfield outlined several other ideas for increasing municipal revenue, including: rezoning portions of Broadway for mixed-use development from downtown to the Woodcliff Lake border; increased tax ratables associated with the state’s fourth-round affordable housing obligations (2025–35); and redevelopment of the recently remediated Alexander Cleaners property.
Sheinfield said that every additional $110,000 in annual revenue equates to roughly a 1% reduction in the local tax levy. An archived video of the mayor’s June 30 tax town hall is available online.
According to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, 58% of New Jersey municipalities allow at least one type of cannabis business to operate
locally. The state’s Business Action Center has published an 18-page Cannabis Municipal Guidebook 2026 for local officials.