Gasconade County government officials were taken by surprise this week when the first General Fund Sales Tax revenue check of the year fell below $100,000 for at least the first time in five years.

The reimbursement check for January from the Missouri Department of Revenue was for $96,665 — almost $11,000 less than the amount received in January of last year. The arrival of the first check of the year comes on the heels of yet another record-setting 12 months of General Fund Sales Tax money. The total amount received in 2025 was $1,240,668.

County Treasurer Mike Feagan Thursday morning told the County Commission, meeting in Owensville City Hall, that he had no explanation for the drop in revenue to kick off the new year.

“The lowest January (amount) in five years,” he said.

Also down to begin the new year was the reimbursement check for the county’s Law Enforcement Sales Tax — the half-cent tax that’s shared with five of the counties six municipalities. That tax generated $67,820 for the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department, compared to $75,068 received in January of last year. The tax produced $22,606 for the five cities for a total amount in January of $90,427. The cities receive a share of 25 percent of the total amount produced by the Law Enforcement Sales Tax.

However, as Feagan pointed out, the county’s Use Tax started the year on a strong note.

“The only thing good (about the report on sales taxes) is the Use Tax,” the treasurer said. The tax produced $54,520 in January, compared to $44,843 received in January of 2025.

The Use Tax is the county’s sales tax that is applied to purchases made from out-of-state vendors, mostly purchases made online. The tax last year generated a whopping $611,768, nearly $45,000 more than was received in all of 2024. Last year, the Use Tax money was divided among the General Fund, the Sheriff’s Department and the Road Department. Whether to continue the sharing of Use Tax revenue this year will be decided by the County Commission in the coming weeks as it puts final touches on the 2026 operating budget.

As for the $22,606 shared by the five municipalities, here is the breakdown: Owensville – $10,399; Hermann – $8,138; Bland – $1,808; Rosebud – $1,582; Gasconade – $678.