Aurora sales-tax receipts jump in April but budget gap remains

Aurora City Council finance staff reported that sales-tax collections for April 2025 totaled $26.8 million, an increase of $2.3 million (9.3%) compared with April 2024. Bill Levine of the budget office said electronics and computer sales rose 35.8% and auto dealership sales rose 22.5% compared with last April.

The jump also reflected an almost 94% year-over-year increase in collections from a tracked group of variable sales taxpayers, Levine said, reporting roughly $1.7 million in April from that group. “With those good numbers, we now stand about a half million behind the budget plan for sales tax,” he said. A month earlier the city was about $1.5 million behind that plan.

Council members pressed staff about how the improved month-to-month results square with broader projections. Council member Gardner said the city has discussed a roughly $25 million gap related to the full fund balance and multi-year assumptions. Staff clarified the $25 million shortfall represents the entire fund picture (revenues and expenditures) and that sales-tax performance has shown some recent strength but may reflect one‑time effects, including “panic buying” ahead of federal tariff changes.

Levine and other budget staff cautioned that April’s gains—largely concentrated in a few sectors—might not be sustainable. “Because a lot of that was panic buying, that can’t last forever,” one staff member said. Council members asked for additional monthly updates and one‑on‑one briefings ahead of the upcoming budget workshops to refine projections for 2026.

The report did not include any new policy actions; staff said they will continue to monitor collections and provide updates to councilors as more months of data become available.

Council members acknowledged the improved month but otherwise left longer-term budget questions for upcoming budget sessions and staff follow-ups.