HERMANN – Going into the final two months of the year, Gasconade County’s General Fund Sales Tax this month edged past the 10-month total posted in 2025 – albeit by only $69.

That low amount is reflective of the county’s loss of about $46,000 during the summer months during the state’s recouping of sales tax paid to the county by the then-only marijuana retailer.

That retailer was able to recover the money paid in taxes after the state’s courts ruled that it was illegal to apply a county sales tax and a municipal sales tax to marijuana retailers, declaring the move to be “stacking” of taxes.

At the beginning of legalized sales of recreational marijuana, Missouri counties were advised that county sales tax could be applied to the product along with municipal sales tax.

After a legal challenge to the layers of sales taxes – state government slapped a 6-percent tax on pot sales – determined that marijuana retailers could seek refunds, the county had to give back the taxes paid by CODES, the county’s lone marijuana retailer located in Village Market. The retailer relocated in the past couple years to the Jefferson City area. The money was recovered for the retailer through three withholdings from the county’s regular monthly sales tax reimbursements in June, July and August.

This month’s reimbursement check from state government is for $106,714. That pushes the county’s year-to-date total to $1,041,077. That’s $69 more than was received through October in 2025.

The update on the county’s various sales taxes was presented by County Treasurer Mike Feagan to the County Commission during last week’s session in the courthouse.

The General Fund Sales Tax provides the bulk of operating funds for county government. In 2025, the tax generated $1,240,668.

Meanwhile, the county’s Use Tax produced $47,987 for the October reimbursement. That’s the second-smallest monthly amount received this year; however, the Use Tax has generated $568,664 during the first 10 months and that is $63,000 more than the county received during the first 10 months of last year.

In 2025, the Use Tax generated a total of $611,768. With two months of revenue still to arrive, this year’s version of the tax should exceed last year’s total.

The Use Tax this year has been divided between the General Fund, the Road & Bridge Fund and the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department.

Regarding the sheriff’s agency, the county’s Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST) produced $74,290 for the October reimbursement. So far this year, the LEST has generated $1,007,300 in total through the first 10 months.

Revenue created by the LEST is divided between the sheriff’s agency and five municipal police departments in the county. Thus far, the Sheriff’s Department has received $755,185 while the five cities have been allocated $251,825.

In 2025, the LEST produced a total of $1,145,786. To top that amount for this year, the LEST needs to generate about $70,000 in both November and December.

Here is how this month’s LEST revenue breaks down, and the year-to-date total, for the five municipalities: Owensville – $11,391, $115,839; Hermann – $8,911, $90,657; Bland – $1,981, $20,146; Rosebud – $1,733, $17,627; Gasconade – $742, $7,554.