Following a tepid showing in March, sales tax distributions to local municipal and county government entities boomed in April.
Last April saw an unusually low sales tax distribution, the biggest drop in the midst of the surge in local shopping during the COVID pandemic. Compared to that, sales tax income to Barry and Lawrence counties this April grew by a staggering 40 percent from the same taxes, the largest single percentage jump since November 2018, resulting in an increase of more than $700,000 to local coffers.
The seven Barry County cities collecting sales tax took in $768,073.69, up 37 percent from last April and up 12 percent from the old April record in 2018.
Cassville rebounded from last month’s dip with $101,378.81 in its 1 percent general fund, up $26,734.54 or 36 percent from a year ago. Cassville’s general fund is up nearly $200,000 in just four months from the 2021 pace.
Seligman’s 1 percent general fund tax didn’t quite erase the March deficit, receiving $15,447.79, up $5,267.81 from last April. Seligman’s general fund is down about $400 from last year at this point.
Washburn’s 1 percent sales tax for paying general bills topped $4,000 for the first time in 2022, taking in $4,100.68, up $2,280.82, or more than double last April’s sum. That put the year’s total ahead by more than $4,000.
Exeter’s 1 percent sales tax topped $2,000 for the second time this year, receiving $2,100.67, up $554.68 from last April. Exeter’s tax has pulled in $2,000 more this year than in the start of 2021.
Wheaton, with its erratic 1 percent general fund tax, received $9,584.24, up $5,981.98 from a year ago, more than 3.5 times the amount the half-cent tax generated. Consistent over-production from Wheaton’s tax plus higher revenue has pushed the city’s general fund over last year’s pace by more than $11,000 or up by a third.
Monett, with its two sales taxes for its general fund at 1 percent, set a new April record to start its new fiscal year. The city received $206,873.16, up $52,949.86, or 34 percent, from a year ago, up more than $17,000 from the old April record in 2017. It was the eighth increase in nine months. That put the 2022 total up more than $104,000 from last year’s pace.
Purdy offered the sole exception in the bi-county region from the April bonanza, though not by much. Receipts from the city’s three sales taxes combined dropped by a total of $1.50. The city’s 1 percent sales tax for paying general bills received $4,352.87, down 80 cents from a year ago for the lowest April sum since 2007. It was the fourth comparative drop in 10 months, putting the current fiscal year total still ahead of last year by $6,000, and the 2022 total ahead of last year by $4,200.
Barry County government saw an equally hefty gains from sales taxes. Its two .5 percent taxes for its general fund and road maintenance each yielded more than $235,376, a gain of around $72,800 each. Those gains raised revenues from each tax by more than $103,000 over the start of 2021.
Barry County’s tax supporting 911 services at .375 percent produced $176,523.36, up $54,662.77 from a year ago. For 2022, Barry County’s revenues are up by nearly $85,000.
SALES TAX COLLECTIONS IN APRIL
General pattern: Strong rebound after March dip
Monett: General fund gets 34 percent boost
Exception: Purdy collections down by mere $1.50
