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Pitchford Sounds Alarm on County Sales Tax Decline

Boone County’s sales tax situation has become so dire that it should raise the property tax to compensate for declining revenue, County Auditor June Pitchford said in her proposed budget for fiscal 2020.

The first in a series of public hearings on the proposed budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Boone County Commission chambers at the Roger B. Wilson Boone County Government Center. Pitchford’s budget plan proposes spending a total of $85.8 million, down 2% from this year.

Sales tax is the primary concern addressed in the proposed budget. The tax, which accounts for around 68% of total revenue for the majority of county operations and services, has been on the decline for the past several years. Pitchford blames untaxed online retail sales for the drop and called the situation “alarming.”

To read more, visit our partners at the Columbia Missourian.