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Strong May sales-tax receipts put Spokane County ahead of forecast
Summary
County finance staff reported May 2026 sales-tax collections of about $7.3 million—4.5% above forecast—pushing year-to-date receipts roughly $1.5 million over budget and lifting the rolling 12‑month growth rate to 5.7%.
County finance staff presented the May 2026 sales-tax update at the June 1 strategic planning meeting, reporting collections tied to March economic activity. "May's collections was just shy of 7.3 million which is four and a half% over what we forecasted," the presenter said, noting the county budgeted for 2.2% growth.
Staff said the county is roughly $1.5 million ahead of budget year-to-date and that the rolling 12-month average growth rate is about 5.7%. Retail trade remains the largest contributor—automobile dealers, furniture and home furnishing, electronics and warehouse clubs all posted gains—while traveler accommodations lagged, down about 13.6% year-to-date.
Subsector details: construction growth (notably foundation and structure contractors) was reported at 3.3% with some subsectors up sharply (foundations/structure +8.8%). Restaurants and bars showed positive growth (restaurants +5%, bars +8.6%); special food services remain down but represent a smaller revenue base.
Finance staff said the positive variance provides modest additional flexibility as the board develops target budgets for 2027, but cautioned about one-time timing effects (pay-cycle anomalies and budget amendments) that can give a misleading mid-year picture.
Next steps: staff will provide a breakdown of automotive new/used data on request and follow up with additional subsector detail next month.
