August county sales tax collections beat last month's spike

The local economy could be getting back on track after the COVID-19 shutdown.

Last month, Pottawatomie County's July sales tax collections showed a sizable increase in revenue over last year, hinting that the revenue hit from the recent COVID-19 shutdown had come to an end. August figures show the county has not lost any momentum — in fact, numbers this month are even better.

Treasurer Wendy Magnus reported this month's collections totaled $781,571.07, up from the same month a year ago when $661,162.43 was received –– an increase of $120,408.64.

According to an average from the past 10 years, August collections have been coming in around $658,720.

A Breakdown

Pottawatomie County received its first positive case of COVID-19 the last week of March, which spurred the start of added restrictions ordered by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Area residents spent significant time avoiding public spaces as a direct result of a shelter-at-home directive from leaders starting mid-March, during April and into May.

As a result, revenue has been down since all non-essential businesses were closed until mid-May.

Though many local shops have opened back up to some degree, the level of service or staffing is still limited for a number of them.

April's data — though it did show a slight decrease — was not substantial. Sales tax collections in April were down only $6,310.45 from a year ago.

May's decrease was a much bigger hit — nearly $97,000 below 2019's May figures.

Collections in revenue for June were down as expected, as collections showed a decrease of $18,572.40 from the same month a year ago.

July showed a sizable increase in revenue over last year.

Magnus reported July collections totaled $770,519.41 –– an increase of $108,312.50 over last year in July.

Typically, July numbers have averaged at about $639,500, according to data from the previous 10 years.