Sales tax income to Barry County cities and county government held fairly even in February compared to a year ago, despite the shift resulting from Monett’s use tax pulling down the overall county total.
The seven Barry County cities collecting sales tax received $788,398.48. Both Cassville and Monett saw lower receipts, while all the other cities marked gains.
Cassville saw its second drop in sales tax receipts in 20 months, the second time in four months. The city’s 1 percent tax took in $104,739.62 for paying general bills, a drop of $5,461.87 from last February. It was nonetheless the second-best February on record.
The drop from Cassville’s four sales taxes combined for the month was nearly $13,000, a sum easily erased by the city’s use tax, which generated $32,503.81 for the month. Adding together all Cassville’s current sales taxes and its use tax, collections for the month were up by more than $19,500, or 7 percent, from a year ago.
That put Cassville’s start for 2024 almost $7,000 under the first two months of 2023.
Monett’s two sales taxes at a total of 1 percent generated $213,657.72 for the city’s general fund. That’s down $8,522.49 from a year ago but still the second highest February on record, almost $150,000 higher than two years ago. The city’s use tax added another $85,360.22 to city coffers, more than making up the $21,584.72 drop when combining all five of Monett’s active sales taxes compared to what was collected a year ago.
Compared to the start of 2023, Monett’s 2024 general fund collections are down about $23,000.
Seligman’s 1 percent general fund tax produced $12,769.13 for the month, up $1,186.86 from a year ago and up for the fourth month in a row. Seligman starts the calendar year more than $2,000 ahead of 2023.
After seeing receipts fall for the previous two months, Wheaton’s erratic 1 percent sales tax received $7,003.27, its second best February on record, up $636.68 from a year ago. Wheaton’s .5 percent transportation tax generated 44 percent of the 1 percent tax instead of 50 percent, continuing the unexplained inconsistency in that city’s collections that has gone on for many years. Wheaton’s general fund collections for the year are slightly more than $200 behind the start of 2023.
Purdy saw its best February in the 14 years that only one of its 1 percent taxes has supported the city’s general fund. The tax yielded $5,953.91, up $1,005.72, beating out the 2017 record February by more than $200, ending three consecutive months of lower returns. For 2024, Purdy’s general fund collections lag behind the start of 2023 by a bit more than $2,000.
Washburn’s 1 percent sales tax for its general fund generated $5,154.16, up $636.68 from last February, the first gain in three months. Washburn’s 2023 sum is almost $2,000 under the start of 2023.
Exeter’s 1 percent general fund tax received $3,413.11, up $1,299.44, or 61 percent, from a year ago for a new February record. It was the second consecutive monthly gain for Exeter and the fourth gain in five months. Exeter starts 2024 more than $2,300, or 72 percent, ahead of its 2023 beginning.
Countywide taxes followed the same trends as the cities.
Barry County’s two older half-cent sales taxes for the county’s general fund and road maintenance each generated $229,214, both down about $4,425 from a year ago. It was the second consecutive monthly drop after three months of gains. All the red ink was erased by a whopping $250,171.94 coming into the county’s use tax. The .5 percent law enforcement tax received $228,603.80, up from last February by more than $1,440.
Barry County’s older taxes lagged behind collections for the first two months of 2023 by less than $7,000 each.
Barry County’s .375 percent sales tax funding central dispatching and 911 services took in $171,910.31 for the month, down 2 percent from a year ago. For the start of 2023, collections are down for the second consecutive month for a total drop of almost $5,000.
