Sales tax receipts in October for Barry County and its cities reversed a number of drops in September for a general gain.
Revenue from local retail sales have fallen into an up-one-month, down-the-next pattern for the last four months, making trends much harder to see on a monthly basis.
The seven Barry County cities with sales taxes generated $724,421.22, a gain of 1 percent, largely due to a strong showing in Cassville.
Cassville’s 1 percent general fund tax produced $106,589.35, up $5,174.35 from a year ago, the fourth consecutive monthly gain for the city. Cassville’s 2022 sum has surpassed last year by $180,000. The city’s 5 percent gain across the board offset drops in almost every other town.
Only Washburn also saw a gain. Its 1 percent tax supporting the general fund received $3,037.35, a gain of $971.01 or up 47 percent from a year ago, its seventh consecutive gain thanks to the new Dollar General store. Washburn’s general fund total has surpassed last year’s pace by almost $5,000.
Normally strong Seligman turned in a nearly dead-even performance with last October. The city’s 1 percent general fund sum of $11,750.08 was down a whopping $15.51 from a year ago. Seligman’s four taxes showed a total drop of $34.92. Seligman’s calendar year sum held ahead of last year’s pace by more than $1,300.
Wheaton’s unpredictable 1 percent sales tax pulled in $4,311.80, a drop of $4,598.64 or less than half of last October’s sum, the fourth drop in five months. Wheaton’s half-cent tax, for a change, brought in a little over half of the 1-cent tax, rather than the typical third. Wheaton’s general fund total is nearly $13,000 under the 2021 performance.
Exeter’s 1 percent general fund tax delivered $1,789.22, down $1,430.39 or nearly 45 percent from a year ago, the third drop in six months. For the year, Exeter’s general fund has surged ahead of 2021 by nearly $3,000.
Purdy’s 1 percent sales tax provided $4,908.19 for the general fund, down $1,724.46 from last October. It was the first drop in four months of the city’s fiscal year, with enough gains to boost the $27,824.01 total above last year by more than $3,000. Purdy’s 2022 sum of $61,287.83 has outpaced 2021 by more than $5,000.
Monett, frequently an outlier by showing gains when others don’t, showed declines compared to a year ago for the second month in the row, the third drop in the last six months. Monett’s two sales taxes at a rate of 1 percent collected $184,863 in October, down $2,335.78 from a year ago. With big gains in June through August, the latest dip barely impacted Monett’s general fund, which now has $1,513,382.26 seven months into the fiscal year, more than $112,000 ahead of a year ago.
For 2022, Monett’s general fund has accumulated $2,024,550.87, ahead of last year by more than $100,000.
Barry County saw its countywide taxes rack up gains for the month.
The half-cent sales taxes for the general fund brought in $224,162.74, up $2,598.89 from a year ago. That’s the fourth increase compared to a year ago in five months. The two sales taxes collected for paying general bills have received nearly $207,000 more this year than in 2021.
The separate sales tax funding 911 services and central dispatching in the received a proportionate boost in October.
Barry County’s .375 percent sales tax generated $168,117.06, up $1,947.06 from a year ago.
For 2022, Barry County’s tax has $130,000 more than in 2021.
