Another interest disbursement boosts local receipts

By Murray Bishof Special to the Cassville Democrat

Sales tax revenues disbursed to Barry County cities and county government entities took a sharp rebound in January, wiping out almost all the red ink seen in December. 

In addition, recipients took in two years worth of interest from the Department of Revenue, a traunch generated from tax received from July 2023 to June of 2025. It was an unprecedented second month of consecutive interest payments, compared to once or twice a year, adding $54,171.36 to 35 different taxes collected in that two-year period, some of which have sunsetted. 

The seven Barry County cities took in $910,864.66 in January. Not counting the new police sales tax in Seligman, that represented a gain of 27%, besting the pandemic January peak of almost $794,000. Wheaton, Washburn, and Exeter fell short of last January’s totals, two by slight margins. 

Cassville hit a new January record for its 1% tax payment general bills, in part because the city also received its first disbursement of the sales tax on marijuana sales, also going into the general fund. The city received $145,840.34, including interest, up $40,603.64 from a year ago, breaking the old record of $114,482.23 from January 2024 even without the additional marijuana sales tax. Cassville’s use tax also inched up, receiving $27,936.51, up almost $2,000 from a year earlier, after going up more than $700 from 2024. 

Monett showed a similar gain without the addition of a new tax. Monett’s two taxes supporting the general fund at 1% generated $216,523.35, including interest. That was up $35,577.46 from a year ago, but not quite over the pandemic peak of almost $221,000 in 2023. It was the first gain in three months and enough to wipe out any drops in the second half of 2025. Both the retired sales taxes paying off the city swimming pool and the police station combined brought in almost $1,000 in interest. Monett’s use tax in January brought in a hefty $54,590.83 in interest, down $2,436.19 from last January. 

Seligman’s 1% tax supporting its general fund produced $11,990.27, up $988.81 from last January. That was also a January record, up more than $400 over the 2023 pandemic peak, the first gain in three months and enough to wipe away the December dip. Seligman’s use tax produced another $6,718.15 with interest, up $2,148.01, or 47%, from a year ago. 

Purdy’s 1% tax for its general fund yielded $4,362.90 with interest, a gain of $1,033.16 from last January. It was the fourth consecutive monthly gain for Purdy, still well below the $8,380 sum receiving in January 2023. 

Wheaton saw its 1% general fund tax generate $4,297.10 with interest, a drop of a mere $12.45 from last January. Wheaton’s half-cent transportation tax was back to its old tricks, yielding only 46% of the one-cent tax instead of 50%, incurring a $340.61 decline. Wheaton’s use tax, with interest, added another $949.46 to city coffers, down $724.95 from a year ago. 

Washburn’s 1% general fund tax produced $2,226.42 with interest, a drop of $267.28, the fourth consecutive monthly drop. Washburn’s use tax, with interest, added $3,278.72 to city funds, up $825.01 from last January, a gain big enough to erase drops in all three Washburn sales taxes. 

Exeter’s 1% tax paying general bills received $1,852.59 in January, down $1,468.32 from a year ago, the fourth drop in five months. 

Barry County’s four countywide taxes all logged significant gains for the month. The two older half-cent taxes supporting the general fund and road maintenance each generated about $231,080 with interest, up by more than $27,000, or 13%, from a year ago. That topped the pandemic peak in 2023 of more than $229,000. Barry County’s use tax revenue was almost identical to last year, receiving $177,525.10 with interest. Not counting interest, that was a gain of a little over $300. 

The separate .375% tax supporting 911 and central dispatching received $178,558.77 with interest. That was up $20,258.76 from a year ago and over the pandemic peak from 2023 by more than $6,000.