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City sales/use tax growth YTD masks retail weakness; prepared food receipts rise
Summary
Marsh told the council city sales and use tax collections are up 5.26% year‑to‑date, but retail sectors are down while prepared food and wholesale trade showed substantial gains; one large county distribution (Bass Pro Shop opening) boosted county returns that benefit local distributions.
Tom Marsh told the council the city’s sales and use tax is showing cumulative growth through July: "5.26% was our actual cumulative growth" for the period. He said the top merchant categories account for roughly 72% of collected tax and that sector performance is mixed.
Marsh noted sector details: prepared food sales were notably higher (up about 14.4% from the long‑term average and approximately 24% year‑over‑year in some comparisons), while general retail was down about 2% and electronics/mail order collections were 11% below the average. He highlighted that county distributions also help local receipts: openings like Bass Pro Shop and other new businesses in nearby cities have raised county‑level collections and thus Greenwood’s share.
Marsh cautioned that some of the apparent growth reflects inflation rather than increased volume: "They're paying more," he said, distinguishing price effects from higher consumption. He also said he will revisit these lines at the Monday council meeting and watch August–October distributions for the impact of national events such as Prime Day and back‑to‑school shopping.
No formal vote occurred; the presentation was informational and staff offered follow‑up analysis.
