by Becky Holloway
Times’ editor
When they begin thinking about their budgets for next year, county officeholders must be more conservative due to shrinking sales tax revenues according to Moniteau County Presiding Commissioner Joe Lutz.
During its meeting July 22 Lutz advised fellow officials that sales tax collections have been decreasing since the beginning of the year. He sees that trend likely continuing as third and fourth quarter revenues are posted.
This comes as the last of the federal ARPA monies are spent as required by the end of the year. Those have been used to not only complete some much needed maintenance projects but also give pay increases to county employees.
The county receives revenue from four sales tax sources, all approved by voters over the last 45 years and supplementing property taxes received to provide county services from road maintenance to law enforcement.
All of the revenue from a ½ cent tax passed in 1980 goes into the general revenue fund.
Another ½ cent sales tax passed in 2002 is divided between the capital improvement fund, 75 percent, and the road and bridge fund, 25 percent.
Revenue from a third ½ cent sales tax, approved by voters in 2020, is also divided with 50 percent going to the road and bridge fund and 50 percent to the sheriff’s fund.
A local use tax, which is 1 cent on every dollar purchased online, goes to the general revenue fund for operation of county government.
While all sales tax revenues showed growth of 3 to 30 percent in some quarters over the last five years, total collections have decreased most months since the middle of last year and are projected to be considerably lower by year’s end if the current trend continues.
The use tax, which was a boon to most small city and county governments, looks to also be leveling out. The county began collecting that tax in September 2013.
