Polk County reports July sales-tax gains; prisoner-care reimbursements move to direct deposit

Polk County officials were told July sales-and-use-tax receipts and several other revenue lines are ahead of the county's projections, and that state prisoner-care reimbursements are arriving earlier after a process change. Finance presenter Larry reported gross sales-and-use-tax receipts for the general fund in July 2025 were $533,750.87, an increase of 7.41% (about $36,801.74) compared with July 2024. Year-to-date receipts were at 106.41% of projected revenue, Larry said. Rebates for the period totaled $90,458.42. Larry also said prisoner-care revenue for June was $146,005.64 and the year-to-date percent of projected revenue for that line is 102.57%. Larry explained a procedural change in how the county receives prisoner-care reimbursements: previously the county invoiced the state and received funds in a multi-step process that could take about three months; now the county receives a direct deposit “a minimum of 1 month earlier,” which Larry said lets the county earn interest on those funds sooner. Larry said Arkansas Lottery retail sales in Polk County for June were reported as approximately $1,000,006.99 and statewide lottery sales for June were about $44,048,746.50. He also reported Administrative Office of the Courts reimbursements for juvenile-probation salaries for calendar year 2024, noting the state reimburses up to $20,000 per officer for those positions. On the back page of the packet, Larry pointed to available fund balances following the July 1 appropriations and said the county had a little over $7.7 million available across funds for future appropriations. Why it matters: sales-tax and reimbursement timing affect near-term cash flow and the county’s ability to meet appropriation requests without drawing on reserves. Faster prisoner-care reimbursements improve cash timing and short-term interest earnings. Discussion: county officials asked questions and heard comparisons to the same period in 2024; Larry provided year-to-date comparisons and noted the rebate and audit amounts. No formal action on the monthly financial report was recorded in the transcript. Ending: Officials moved on to agenda appropriation requests and other business after the financial briefing.