Lawrence County sales tax revenues mixed for month of October

Bigger cities fail to offset overall county drop in revenue for period; Aurora, Miller, Monett, Mt. Vernon bump up
 
Sales tax revenues to Lawrence County cities and county governmental bodies reflected a mixed bag in October. Marginal gains and lower countywide tallies showed an overall drop, in contrast to Barry County, where almost every recipient showed a strong gain.
The six Lawrence County cities collecting sales tax took in $623,369.22 for the month, down 2 percent from a year ago. Mt. Vernon, Aurora, and Miller were the only three to register gains, somewhat similar to September, when only Aurora and Marionville logged gains.
Mt. Vernon
Mt. Vernon eked out a slight gain for the month with its general fund 1 percent tax generating $90,845.80, up $310.89 from last October. It was the fourth gain in six months for Mt. Vernon. The sum boosted the city’s general fund collections for the year by almost $22,000 from last year’s pace. With use tax collections up $2,000 for the month, Mt. Vernon’s total sales tax and use tax collections for the year are up by $113,000 or almost 5 percent.
Aurora
Aurora had an only slightly better month. Its 1 percent sales tax paying general bills delivered $131,586.18 to city coffers, up $1,856.44 from last October, the fifth gain in six months. Aurora’s general fund collections for the year are up nearly $43,000 from a year ago. Combining all four of Aurora’s sales taxes and its use tax, collections for the year are up by more than $162,000 or, like Mt. Vernon, almost 5 percent.
Miller
Miller reflected the other bright spot for the month, as its two sales taxes at 1.5 percent produced $9,909.71 for the month, a gain of $549.77 from last October, the fourth gain in six months. General fund collections are up by nearly $10,000. Miller’s five sales taxes have brought in more than $13,000 this year over last year’s pace.
Marionville
Marionville continued its seesaw collection pace as its 1 percent general fund tax generated $13,317.82, down $6,014.31 from a year ago, the fourth drop in six months. Even the use tax for the month was down by more than $2,000. General fund collections for the year are down $28,000. The city’s five sales taxes and its use tax in 2025 have collected $43,500 less than a year ago so far.
Pierce City
Pierce City’s doldrums continue as its two sales taxes at 1.125 percent yielded $7,268.70, a drop of $2,075.09 or 22 percent from last October, the third drop in four months. General fund collections are down by a little more than $10,000 for the year. Pierce City’s five sales taxes combined show a drop of nearly $18,000 for the year.
Verona
Verona’s 1 percent sales tax received $1,135.52 in October, down $1,028.38 or nearly half of what came in a year ago. General fund collections are down nearly $7,000 for the year. Like Pierce City, all four of Verona’s sales taxes together have generated close to $18,000 less than last year’s pace.
Monett
Monett saw a surge characteristic of what drove the seven Barry County cities up 16 percent for the month, in contrast to Lawrence County. Monett’s two sales taxes paying general bills generated $212,364.56, up $35,779.43 or 20 percent, though still below the 2023 end-of-pandemic October total. The sum pushed Monett’s general fund sum for the year up by more than $103,000 from a year ago. With a use tax boost of more than $6,000 for the month, Monett’s sales tax and use tax combined revenues for the year have surpassed last year’s pace by more than $315,000 or 6 percent.
Countywide taxes
Lawrence County’s two older half-cent sales taxes each generated $169,565 to support general bills and road maintenance. Each was down $5,680 from a year ago. It was the third drop in four months, even though general fund collections are up $9,000 for the year. While use tax collections were down for the month, the use tax alone has generated $193,000 more this year than last. For the year, Lawrence County’s five sales taxes and use tax collections are up by almost $238,000 or almost 3 percent.
The half-cent sales tax supporting central dispatching and 911 services generated $169,285.19, a drop of $5,650.55 from last October. Despite it being the third drop in four months, collections remain ahead of last year by more than $10,500.