Cassville sets another monthly record

By Murray Bishoff Special to the Cassville Democrat

Sales tax to Barry County cities and the county government took a big jump upward in May, with all but one of the seven cities topping totals from a year ago. 

Totals received another bump as the Missouri Department of Revenue distributed interest accumulated on monthly collections, covering July 2025 to December 2025. This was the second interest distribution in five months, bringing DOR records up to date. All 37 of the Barry County government bodies collecting sales tax received a distribution per tax, even the sunsetted taxes, totaling $11,164.61.

Interest payments have been added to the regular May totals in this report. In none of the cases did the interest payment alone tip the total over the May 2025 sums. 

The seven Barry County cities collecting sales tax received $826,788.15. Comparing the same taxes collected last May, that represented an increase of 8%, not counting Seligman’s new police tax and any collections to Washburn, which had its collections suspended for two months in 2025 over failure to file timely reports with the state. 

Cassville set a new May record. Its 1% sales tax paying general bills generated $121,792.86, up $3,200.17, or not quite 3%. This is up $24,000 or 20% from 2023, a level Cassville had held since mid-pandemic 2022. For the year, Cassville’s general fund tally is up by almost 10%. The city’s use tax total is up another 12%, another frequently seen trend of use taxes outperforming sales tax growth. 

Seligman’s 1% sales tax yielded $15,116.45 for the month, up $1,037.79 from a year ago. That also broke the May record dating back to 2021, before Seligman had a use tax. Seligman’s general fund sum for the year is up by a little more than $5,000, or 8%. Seligman’s use tax grew by 9% for the month, putting the 2026 total ahead of last year by nearly 59%. 

Purdy, whose sales taxes have held fairly even with 2025 this year, saw its 1% sales tax for its general fund receive $5,363.17 with interest, up $1,392.99, or 35%, from a year ago. It was the fourth gain in five months, but well below the May record of $8,168.57 from 2021. The current general fund tally is up 13% from a year ago. 

Wheaton’s 1% general fund sales tax brought in $5,298.91 with interest, down $1,531.93 from a year ago, the only Barry County city falling below the 2025 mark. The May record still stands at $9,983.27 in mid-pandemic 2022. For the year, Wheaton’s general fund receipts are down by a little over $1,000. The city’s half-cent tax had one of those odd months when it generated almost exactly half of the one-cent, a rare occurrence in Wheaton. Wheaton’s use tax, contrary to the other cities, was nearly half of the total a year ago. The use tax total for the year is down nearly a third. 

Washburn, which received nothing a year ago due to a suspension of receipts ordered by the State Auditor, took in $2,699.98 for its general fund, down $1,126.54 from two years ago. The May record of nearly $4,000 still stands from mid-pandemic 2022, before Washburn had a use tax, which started last July. Washburn’s general fund receipts for five months are ahead of the first four months of 2025 by more than $1,400. 

Exeter’s 1% general fund sales tax generated $3,728.96 with interest in May, up $276.74 from last May. That put the 2026 sum down $1,194.39, or nearly 9%, for the year. Receipts from Exeter’s use tax are up by almost $650, making up half of that red ink. 

Monett, which generates more sales tax than any other Barry County city, saw its two sales taxes for a total of 1% produce $206,366.40 with interest. That was up $19,803.83, or nearly 11%, from a year ago, also a May record, beating the old record from 2021 before Monett had a use tax. Monett’s general fund receipts for the year are up by more than $53,600, or 5%. Monett’s use tax for the month nearly doubled from a year ago. Use tax receipts for the year are up by nearly 30%.

Barry County’s two older countywide half-cent sales taxes for general operations and road maintenance each brought in more than $247,053 for the month, a gain of more than $33,336, or more than 15%. That put Barry County’s two sales taxes for its general fund at .625%, up by more than $100,000 ahead of last year. 

Barry County’s use tax receipts for the month more than tripled from last May, the fifth gain over last year in 2026 and the fourth in a row by a big margin. Use tax receipts for 2026 are up by more than $425,000 or 44%. 

The .375% sales tax supporting Barry County’s central dispatching and 911 service, a separate tax that goes straight to the Emergency Services Board, received $185,275.98 in May, up $25,007.43, up almost 16% for the fifth gain in a row. Receipts for the year from that tax are up by 7%.