County sales tax revenue encouraging sign for area

You have to be careful when hitching hopes to sales tax revenue. The figures are fickle, like a warm day in February.

But the latest report coming from the Cape Girardeau County government sure feels good.

Southeast Missourian reporter Samantha Rinehart wrote in a story last week that year-to-date revenue is up 9.39 percent. For the numbers reported in March, the county was up 15 percent over the same report from a year ago.

The reason the numbers can be tricky is there is latitude in terms of when businesses can pay their taxes, and a certain lag time by which the state reimburses the county. The county tax figures have shown wild fluctuations in the past, but largely they happen from month to month, and not as much over a three-month period. The report is an indication, though not proof, that Cape Girardeau is healing nicely after the effects of the national recession.

"It's looking pretty good," Cape Girardeau County Treasurer Roger Hudson said. "It's a much better start than last year, when we were down 3.45 percent."

There are other factors that are encouraging. As reported recently, many projects are underway in the city, particularly downtown. The help-wanted ads are picking up in the newspaper. Companies are expanding and hiring. Homes are being built.

Sure, the tax revenue figures can be like a warm day in February. But the overall picture in Cape Girardeau today feels much more like a warm day in March. Bring on the spring.