Van Buren sales tax revenue 4% above budget projection
by November 3, 2025 7:15 pm 918 views
Things are looking bright for the city of Van Buren’s budget with sales tax revenue totals up compared to the same time in 2024. City sales tax year-to-date total is up 0.7% from the total generated through October 2024.
Van Buren Mayor Joe Hurst said the city’s sales tax total is 4% above the 2025 budget projection. The city’s year-to-date 2025 city sales tax revenue is $7.285 million through October, compared to $7.235 through October 2024, he said.
“The county sales tax comparison to last year is a bit misleading due to the county error that caused the city not to receive revenue in January 2024 and February 2024,” Hurst said.
There was a three-month period in 2023 – October through December – when the 1% countywide sales tax was not collected because of an election filing error. Because of the two months in 2024 that those funds were not collected, the county sales year-to-date 2025 total is up 35% from the total generated through October 2024, Hurst said.
Through October, the city’s portion of the county’s sales tax had generated $3.577 million in revenue, compared to $2.634 million through October 2024, he said.
With the help of sales tax revenue, city projects are moving along, Hurst said. The city received nearly $1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a downtown drainage project, and that project has started, he said. There also are multiple street projects underway or completed this year, he added.
The Van Buren City Council approved an update to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan June 23. The community center is a key part of the updated plan. A “conceptual” plan shows a 61,755-square-foot center that would include an indoor swimming pool with spectator seating, a splash pad for children, classrooms, community room for 450 people, indoor pickleball courts, basketball and volleyball courts, an indoor running track, and a concession area. The estimated cost for the conceptual community center is $34.203 million.
“We plan to vote on a bond issue to build a community center (and fire station) in March 2026,” Hurst said. “The city council must approve in December 2025 to put it on the ballot.”