Surge from Cassville pushes cities over last year

By Murray Bishoff Special to the Cassville Democrat

For the fifth time in six months, Barry County cities showed gains in sales tax revenues in November, and for the fourth time in six months, countywide taxes have also seen gains. 

The seven cities collecting sales tax took in $782,355.60 for the month. Only four of the seven recorded gains, but it was enough to push revenues from the same taxes collected a year ago up by 2.5%. 

Cassville’s 1% sales tax for its general fund received $114,583.16, up $8,900.72, or 8%, from last November. It was a new November record, the fifth gain in six months. Combining all four Cassville sales taxes and its use tax, the city’s sales tax income is up more than $27,000 or nearly 10% for 2025.

Wheaton’s two sales taxes, in a rare showing of mathematical sensibility, produced totals where the one-cent tax was double the half-cent, a feat seen only one other time this year. The general fund 1% tax generated $6,402.18, up $1,037.77 from a year ago, the fourth general fund gain in six months. Those gains have helped push Wheaton’s 11-month total from both taxes and its use tax up by almost $10,000 or 12% above last year’s pace. 

Purdy mounted its second gain in a row after a four-month losing streak. Purdy’s 1% tax supporting the city’s general fund yielded $4,905.20, up $770.66 from last November. Receipts from Purdy’s three taxes combined are down for the year by more than $17,000, or 13%. 

Washburn squeaked out its third gain in four months. The city’s 1% general fund tax produced $3,503.49, up $167.21 from a year ago. Factoring out the two-month suspension of sales tax payments, Washburn’s sales tax income has struggled keeping up with last year. The city’s three sales taxes and use tax have brought in $17,000 less this year, down 16%. 

Three cities showing drops for the month did not offset these gains. 

Monett’s two sales taxes at 1% supporting its general fund generated $197,310.73 for the month, a drop of $2,360.37 from last November. Though it was the second drop in three months, the sum could not erase the five-figure gains in four of the past six months. Monett’s five sales taxes and its use tax in 2025 have brought in more than $6 million, up more than $306,000, or 5%, from last year’s pace. 

Seligman’s 1% tax paying into the city’s general fund yielded $11,887.27, down $1,709.90, the third consecutive monthly decline. On the plus side, Seligman’s new 1% tax for police services has produced more than $39,000 in four months, spending that would have previously come out of the general fund. Seligman’s five sales taxes, including the new police tax, plus the city’s use tax, have brought in more than $57,000 than last year, boosting total revenue by more than 16%. 

Exeter saw its 1% sales tax bring in $1,471.42 for the month, down $1,866.89 or more than half of last November’s total. It was the third drop in six months, enough to erase gains in the other months. The 2025 sum is down by more than $3,500 from last year’s pace. 

Countywide taxes turned a marginal gain at the city end into a big increase. 

Barry County’s two older half-cent sales taxes for general operations and road maintenance each brought in more than $247,900, a gain of around $15,600 from each, or up nearly 7%. It was the third gain in five months, all of which were in the five-digit range. That pushed income from the county’s four sales taxes and its use tax for the year over last year’s pace by more than $354,000 or greater than 3%. 

The separate .375% sales tax funding central dispatching and 911 services generated $185,942.51 for the month, a gain of $11,714.54. That puts the year-to-date total up by close to $42,000, a gain of 2% over last year.