by Dennis Dalman
There’s some good news about the half-cent regional sales tax revenue for Sartell.
At the Jan. 25 city council meeting, it was announced despite lowered sales-tax revenue in October of 2019, the city still managed to receive 0.4 percent above the 2019 allocation and exceeded the 2020 budgeted sales-tax amount by $43,244, or by 3.6 percent during the last two months of 2019.
For 2021, the city has budgeted a 4.2 percent anticipated half-cent sales-tax revenue based on an increase in distribution and historical performance of the tax.
Almost two decades ago, Sartell was one of five area cities whose residents voted in favor of the regional half-cent sales tax. Residents voted to renew it after the first 10 years. What happens is that one-half cent of sales taxes paid are dedicated to projects in those five cities – projects that have some kind of regional use or significance. The tax revenue is divided up among the cities based on various factors.
Most recently, Sartell used that sales-tax revenue to help pay for the Scheel’s Athletic Complex, now under construction.
In 2020, Sartell received $1,221, 600 in sales-tax revenue. In 2019, it received $1,486,500.