City's sales tax revenue off to slow start

City Manager Greg Burris presented Springfield City Council with some sobering news at council's Monday night meeting.

Burris announced that the city's first sales tax check for fiscal year 2010 - the check for July, which covers purchases mostly made in May - was $3.1 million, down by about $548,000, or 15.1 percent, from the same period last year.

Burris said council members shouldn't put too much stock in the low number, as it only accounts for one month and is not traditionally one of the city's largest revenue months. He did call it a sobering start to the fiscal year - and not a pattern the city wants to see continue.

"With the last check being down 10 percent June to June, and this one being down 15 percent July to July, this is not the direction we hoped we'd be going at this point," Burris told council.

The fiscal 2010 budget calls for sales tax revenue to be basically flat compared to fiscal 2009.[[In-content Ad]]Read SBJ's July 20 issue for more from Springfield City Council.