Taxes show marginal gains – Cassville Democrat

Barry County’s cities and county government entities generating sales tax saw marginal gains overall in April, though a smaller number made up for the losses shown by most recipients.

The seven Barry County cities collecting sales tax received $751,410.75, a 2 percent increase over a year ago. Cassville, Purdy and Washburn carried the month’s load as Seligman, Wheaton, Exeter and Monett failed to top last April’s numbers.

Cassville’s 1 percent sales tax for paying general bills yielded $102,661.80 in April, up $641.55 from a year ago. With the COVID pandemic surge in local sales, it was the third consecutive year Cassville’s April receipts had topped $100,000, when prior to that totals had never reached $82,000.

For the 2023 calendar and fiscal year, Cassville’s sales tax has generated more than $30,000 or 8 percent above the start of last year.

Seligman saw its third drop in sales tax receipts in six months. The city’s 1 percent general fund tax produced $10,425.31, down $5,022.48, or 33 percent, from a year ago. So far in 2023, Seligman’s general fund revenues have nonetheless held more than $2,000 above the previous year.

Washburn eked out a gain as its 1 percent general fund tax yielded $4,241.13, up $140.45 from last April. Washburn’s general fund total of 2023 is up more than $5,000, or 38 percent, from a year ago.

Wheaton’s sales taxes fell back into its old pattern of the 1 percent general fund tax producing close to oneand- a-half times the .5 percent tax. The city’s 1 percent tax received $6,733.54, down $2,920.95, or 30 percent, from a year ago. At the same time the half-cent tax received $2,733.32, up $84.07 from the sum received last April. Wheaton’s general fund receipts are down more than $2,600, or 34 percent, from the start of 2022.

Exeter barely slipped below last April. Its 1 percent general fund sales tax generated $1,960.26, down $140.41 from a year ago. That was enough to drop the 2023 sum below last year by $101.60.

Monett opened its new fiscal year with its two taxes supporting the general fund at a total of 1 percent generating $202,546.31, down $4,326.85 from a year ago. That was still the second highest April sum on record, up 31 percent from 2021. Monett’s receipts for 2023 are up more than $50,000 from the start of 2022.

Countywide sales taxes followed the opposite trend of the cities, recording revenue drops.

Barry County’s two .5 percent sales taxes supporting general operations and road maintenance each took in $216,996, both reflecting a drop of more than $18,380 for the month. After three previous months of solid gains, Barry County’s 2023 general fund sum stands more than $48,000 higher than the start of 2022.

Barry County’s separate sales taxes supporting 911 and central dispatching followed the same county-wide pattern. That .375 percent sales tax paid directly to the Emergency Services Board brought in $162,736.15, a drop of $13,787.21 from a year ago. For the year, receipts are up by more than $36,000.