Both Starkville and Columbus saw an increase in general sales tax collections this month, but Columbus is still on pace to fall just shy of its $12 million projected budget for the fiscal year. Meanwhile, Starkville is now poised to exceed its $10.3 million projected budget by more than $100,000.
Both cities’ budget cycles began Oct. 1. West Point, whose fiscal year began July 1, is still on track to exceed its $2.9 million projected budget by nearly $145,000.
Sales tax diversions run on a three-month window. Taxes are collected by retailers in the first month, sent to Mississippi Department of Revenue the next and then disbursed to cities and counties the third. Therefore, May reported collections reflect sales from March.
Columbus
Columbus brought in about $1,084,899 in general sales taxes this month, a 2.41% increase from May 2025 collections of $1,059,298. This marks a 19.28% jump from last month’s collections ($909,533).
So far this fiscal year, the city has collected $7,943,765 in sales tax revenue, a 3.24% increase from this time last year ($7,694,077).
Columbus is on pace to fall about $84,352 shy of its $12 million projected budget. However, Chief Financial Officer Jim Brigham said given the upward trend of sales tax collections, he anticipates the city to end the fiscal year ahead of budget.
The city’s restaurant and lounge tax brought in about $249,973 this month, down 3.92% from May 2025 collections of $260,187. This is an 8.84% increase from April’s collection of $229,663.
Year-to-date, restaurant sales tax collections are up by about 12.05%, with $1,916,125 collected so far this fiscal year, compared to this time last year ($1,710,056).
The city’s hotel/motel tax brought in about $43,221 this month, up 2.67% from May 2025 collections ($42,094). This also marks a 25.1% increase from April collections of $34,547.
So far this fiscal year, the city’s hotel/motel tax has brought in about $314,887, a 0.21% increase from this time last year ($314,207).
Starkville
Starkville collected $966,406 in sales taxes this month, up 6.55% from May 2025 collections of $903,089. This marks a 22.46% increase from last month’s collections of $789,144.
So far this fiscal year, the city has collected $6,950,845 in sales tax revenue, a 3.46% increase from this time last year ($6,718,182). At its current pace, Starkville is expected to exceed its $10.3 million projected budget by about $126,267.
Starkville saw a decrease in month-to-month collections of both its restaurant sales tax diversions, which assist in funding for economic development and tourism, and its tourism sales tax, which funds the parks.
The city’s restaurant sales tax brought in $302,856, a 3.79% decrease from May 2025 collections of $314,790. This is a 11.75% increase from April collections of $270,998.
Year-to-date, Starkville has collected $2,226,565 in restaurant sales tax revenue, marking a 3.6% increase from this time last year ($2,149,083).
Starkville’s tourism tax brought in $165,350 this month, a 5.43% drop from May 2025 collections of $174,854. This marks a 5.81% increase from April collections of $156,260.
Year-to-date, the city has collected $1,266,919 from tourism tax revenue, marking a 3.66% increase from this time last year ($1,222,182).
West Point
West Point’s sales tax collections brought in about $271,928 this month, a 1.58% decrease from May 2025 collections of $276,315. This also marks a 12.89% increase from last month’s collection of $240,868.
So far this fiscal year, the city has collected about $2,791,115 in sales tax revenue, marking a 0.1% decrease from this time last year ($2,793,970). At its current pace, West Point is on track to exceed its $2.9 million projected sales tax budget by about $144,852.
The city’s tourism tax brought in $46,463 this month, up 15.17% from May 2025 collections of $40,341 – a 62.77% from last month’s collection of $28,544.
Year-to-date, the city has collected about $373,650 from its tourism tax, a 5.41% increase from this time last year ($354,462).
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