Monroeville battling nearly $1M in pandemic-related lost revenue
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Monroeville will face a nearly $900,000 loss in revenue from tax and other fees when it comes time to pass a balanced budget in a couple of months, according to a chart on a municipal document outlining tax revenues from January through August.
Manager Tim Little provided an update on the municipality’s tax revenues during council’s Sept. 8 meeting. He said the revenue loss is to be expected, because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that the number isn’t as large as he anticipated.
“That seems like a lot of money,” he said, referencing the $900,000 loss in tax revenue. “And it is, I’m not saying it isn’t … but that’s not as alarming as I thought it would be.”
Councilman Eric Poach said the number means the municipality is about 5% behind from where it needs to be, or from where it was last year at this time.
Of the various tax revenue streams that are lagging, Little said the most significant losses are coming from mercantile, business privilege and local services taxes when compared to where they were in 2019.
Those figures alone combine to account for $458,424 in lost revenue. Another $158,445 has not been collected from real estate taxes, a decrease of about 2%, according to the chart.
Other tax revenues that are down from where they were last year include the earned income tax and various permit fees. The chart shows building permits and occupancy permits are down $21,213 and $17,072, respectively, from last year.
Little said he expects delinquent taxes, when collected, to help close the gap.
Monroeville’s first budget hearing is set for Oct. 13.