The numbers are in for Springfield's 1-cent general sales tax, and the results are encouraging - at least compared to previous months.
The city's November sales tax check, which covers purchases in August and September, totaled $2.1 million, basically flat from November 2008. It's only the second of five months in fiscal 2010 that the city's general sales tax has not been down by double-digit percentages.
For the year to date, tax figures are down 9.7 percent, or $1.5 million, compared to the same period in fiscal 2009. The drop is an improvement, however; totals were down more than 11 percent for the year to date through October.
While the city is down for the year, city officials have said they are only reviewing the sales tax situation quarterly to see if additional budget cuts are needed. The city had to take that step in early October, shaving 10 percent, or $1 million from this year's general fund budget, to cover the $1 million the city was down in the first quarter.
Deputy City Manager Evelyn Honea told Springfield Business Journal in October that the additional $500,000 the city is behind should be covered by more than $400,000 the city is saving because of nearly 110 staff positions that remain frozen.
