Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Finance director: Sales tax essentially flat; use tax up 45.5% in November
Summary
Joplin Finance Director Leslie Haas told the city council Nov. 17 that November sales tax was essentially flat year-over-year, while use tax jumped about 45.5% (roughly $66,000). Haas said additional marijuana sales tax rose about 10% and that October general-fund expenditures were not yet closed.
Leslie Haas, Joplin’s finance director, told the informal meeting of the Joplin City Council on Nov. 17 that November sales tax receipts were "essentially flat with November of last year," up about 0.12 percent and roughly $8,300 above the first-month budgeted projection.
Haas said use tax showed a large year-over-year increase — "up 45 and a half percent, which is a little over $66,000" — pushing year-to-date actual receipts to 9.42 percent compared with a budgeted 8.5 percent. She also reported that the city’s additional marijuana sales tax was up "just over 10 percent," about $3,500, with actual receipts at 8.31 percent versus a budgeted 7.91 percent.
The finance director noted that final general-fund expenditure figures for October were not yet available because the city does not close October until the end of November; she said she will present preliminary October and November information at the next meeting. The mayor asked if any council members had questions; none were raised.
Why it matters: early fiscal-year variances can affect budget monitoring and forecasting. A sharp rise in use tax may reflect increased large purchases or construction activity that are subject to use rather than local sales tax, while small differences in sales-tax percentages can change budget-year projections.
Haas concluded by inviting questions and confirming she will return next month with updated preliminary reports for October and November. The informal session continued with an events preview and there were no formal actions or votes tied to the fiscal update.
