Sales tax revenues have jumped $8.3 million in Kansas City, Kansas, for January to September of this year, as compared to the same period in 2016, according to a Unified Government financial report.
The UG finances are in good shape, officials told a UG committee Monday.
Kathleen VonAchen, UG chief financial officer, said the consolidated UG general fund in the third quarter received $162,908,000 in revenues and spent $141,210,000. She made her report at the UG Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting Monday night.
“Our collections are greater than we expected and our expenditures are less than we expected,” she said, “so we’re coming out pretty good.”
Revenues collected are 79.8 percent of the budget, with expenditures at 68.6 percent, she said.
City property taxes collected are at 98 percent for the year, since property tax installments for the budget year have already been received, according to the financial report.
Sales tax to the city is coming in at 77.3 percent of the projections for the year, at $34.2 million through the third quarter, which is higher than expected, she said. Sales taxes typically pick up in the last quarter of the year, VonAchen added.
“We’re expecting even better sales tax revenue during those higher Christmas months of October, November and December,” she said.
A category in the general fund revenue budget, “other tax,” is 69 percent, slightly lower than the 75 percent target, and there is an annual appropriation for debt reserves in case there are not enough funds available, she said. Typically, those funds are not spent, because the revenues have been enough, she added.
Charges for services also were down, at 66 percent, and they were related to the trash collection fees and municipal court fines, fees and court costs, she said. Some of this difference could be the result of a delay in payment, she added.
The county general fund revenues were doing well, at 98 percent, as this fund relies more on property tax, which has already been collected, according to UG officials.
UG figures showed that the city of Kansas City, Kansas, collected $24.8 million in property tax from January through September of this year, compared to $25.6 million in January through September of 2016. The city collected $34.2 million in sales tax for the same period in 2017 compared to $25.8 million in January through September 2016.
Property taxes paid to the county from January to September of this year were $34.3 million, an increase of $1.3 million from the $32.9 million paid in property tax from January to September of 2016, according to the UG financial report.
Sales taxes paid to the county from January to September of this year totaled $5.2 million as compared to $4.02 million in January to September of 2016, according to the UG figures, an increase of $1.2 million.
UG Budget Director Reginald Lindsey said there was one item on the third quarter budget revision report over $10,000. The UG staff is required to report to the commission any changes to the budget of $10,000 or more.
A $30,000 transaction from the general fund, district courts, was related to sexual assaults, according to Lindsey. A new statute was passed allowing victims to go to the hospital to be examined, and this expense was $30,000, Lindsey said. The budget item was dated last August.
In other action, the Economic Development and Finance Committee voted to approve the UG’s cash management and investment policy. According to the agenda, it is the same policy, with no changes, as the past policy.
A written report on the third quarter of fiscal year 2017 UG budget report, with much more detail, can be found on page 43 of the UG Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting agenda for Dec. 4, online at www.wycokck.org.