The share of sales tax collected by the Walmart corporation dropped slightly in Butler County last year, according to audit documents reviewed and approved Monday by Poplar Bluff City Council members.
The city collected approximately $11.6 million in sales tax in 2018, split among its general fund, capital improvement fund, park department and economic development. It was an increase of approximately 3.4% over 2017.
Walmart Supercenter and Walmart Neighborhood Market collected 24.8% of all sales tax, audit documents show, down from 26.5% in the previous year.
The top 10 sales tax payers in 2018 were: Walmart Supercenter, 19.58%; Menards, 6.96%; Neighborhood Market, 5.22%; Kroger, 4.9%; Home Depot, 4.27%; Aldi, 2.17%; 10Box Cost Plus, 1.95%; Gamblin Lumber Company, 1.88%; Hefner Furniture, 1.53%; New Cingular AT&T, 1.47%.
Cingular made its first appearance on the top 10 list in 2018, following the closure of Kmart.
The lineup saw other small changes, with Kroger dropping from the third spot in 2017 to the fourth spot in 2018; Gamblin dropping from the seventh spot to eighth; and Hefner moving up one spot.
Sales tax made up the single largest source of unrestricted revenue for the city’s general fund, which pays for police, fire and street departments, as well as other services.
The general fund received almost $5.5 million of sales tax money toward $19.5 million in revenues last year. Expenses topped $23.1 million, audit documents show. Final information regarding the city’s current fund balances was not available as of press time due to the midweek holiday.
Steve Austin, a partner with the auditing firm Kraft, Miles and Tatum, noted that the city had planned expenditures in 2018 that included: $4.1 million to the tax increment financing district which supports the Eight Points retail area; and $7.2 million for phase 2 of Shelby Road. Both the TIF payment and Shelby Road costs are supported through designated sales tax funds.
Auditors issued an unmodified opinion, stating that they did not find any material weaknesses over internal controls and that financial statements were compiled in accordance with generally accepted accounting principals.