Sales tax revenue for Bartlesville was up slightly and use tax revenue was down for the most recent reporting period, according to the October sales tax report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
Sales tax collections for Bartlesville were up .6 percent, while use tax revenue was down 11.9 percent, compared to the same period last year.
Both sources of revenue for the City continue to be flat when compared to budget expectations, thanks to conservative budgeting.
“The October sales tax collection was $1,898,393, which is about .6 percent, or about $12,000, more than the collection for the same period last year,” said City CFO/CityClerk/Treasurer Jason Muninger.
Use tax collections remain up for the year at approximately 7.9 percent, or $93,000.
More about the tax collections & funding
Sales and use tax collections lag approximately a month and a half behind.
“We receive a deposit around the eighth or ninth of the month, which is about a month and a half behind (sales), so when we’re looking at the October report, we’re seeing sales that occurred mostly in July,” he said.
Most sales (78 percent) and all use tax revenue go into the General Fund, which provides funding for most operations of the City of Bartlesville, of which police and fire are the largest.
“A lot of people think City operations are funded by property tax, but that is not the case,” Muninger said. “Municipalities in Oklahoma can only use property tax for debt service, so the only property tax we utilize is based on General Obligation bonds. Additionally, our utility services are self contained, meaning those departments are operated based on the rates and fees collected by each utility. So sales tax, which includes use tax, is used to fund everything else.”
For more information about the City’s budgets, see www.cityofbartlesville.org.