City's financial report available for public viewing

If you want to know how Jefferson City is doing financially, the city offers an easy way to find out.

The city's annual financial report for fiscal year 2016, which ended in October 2016, released earlier this month, is available on the city's website, both in its 149-page comprehensive form and in the shortened, 15-page "Popular Annual Financial Report."

Margie Mueller, Jefferson City finance director, said independent auditor Evers and Company gave the city a clean audit, with no findings showing they needed to change procedures, noting the city is properly using the federal money it has been receiving.

"Basically we're in a good financial position and pretty much holding the line," Mueller said. "You'll see figures for three years - 2014-16 - and they show revenues going up each year."

In 2014, revenue was $46,327,085 and in 2016, it was up to $47,872,331. Sales taxes and other use taxes are the main revenue source for the city, going from more than $21 million in 2014 to more than $23 million in 2016.

Property tax revenue has shown slight growth in the three-year period but remains around $5.2 million each year.

The city's other major revenue generator, utility/franchise taxes, actually has declined, down from $7.6 million in 2014 to more than $7.2 million in 2015 and 2016.

The city's sales tax rate of 7.7 percent is among the lowest of municipalities in a five-county region. Holts Summit has the highest rate at 8.7 percent.

Jefferson City's expenditures have risen, from $45,044,252 in 2014 to $47,875,334 in 2016. The largest amount of that goes to public safety (fire and police), which went from $15.8 million in 2014 to $16.5 million in 2016.

Mueller noted a large increase in capital outlay, going from $8.9 million in 2014 to $12.4 million in 2016. That increase was due to the building of The LINC Wellness Center, for which the city spent $6 million, she said.

The city also saw a significant increase in wastewater revenue from 2015-16 as a result of an increase in sewer charges for services to offset future bond requirements - $9.5 million in 2014 and $10.8 million in 2016.

The audit offers more than financial information, also including a brief history of the city as well as some statistics - such as the number of fire calls (4,630 in 2015 and 5,060 in 2016), crimes reported to the police department (4,263 in 2015 and 4,130 in 2016), and hours snow plows were out during the winter (1,875 in 2015 and 1,100 in 2016).

The city's unemployment rate for the three-year period stayed around 3.4 percent, and the median household income was $47,236.

Between 2015-16, business licenses, both new and renewal, declined from 2,970 in 2015 to 2,899 in 2016.

To read the full reports, visit www.jeffersoncitymo.gov, scroll to the bottom of the home page, click "All News," and go to the section labeled "City of Jefferson Financial Report."