WASHINGTON: Sales tax revenues for the city of Marion continue to spike, which is great news for the community. Last year, the city collected $7,525,000 based on an 8.5 percent sales tax rate on the dollar. That total ranked Marion third south of Springfield, just barely behind Fairview Heights ($7,853,000) and Belleville ($7,572,000), which have a combined population of nearly 60,000 compared to Marion’s 17,500. Effingham ($6,600,000) and Carbondale ($6,016,000), for example, rank behind Marion. Most of Marion’s tax base is now located on the west end.
“There have been some months this year where we rank ahead of everyone,” said a pleased Marion Mayor Bob Butler. The mayor said a large return on sales tax revenues helps to keep property taxes down for residents, however property taxes in Marion are going up from 52 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 57 cents. Butler said that “about 90 percent” of the sales tax collected addresses the city’s police and fire departments’ pension funds. The rest addresses various needs in the general fund. “We live and breathe with our sales tax revenues,” he said.
