Carroll County sees record in tax revenue for 2020

HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — A big fear for government officials across the state has been the economic effects of COVID-19.

Many prepared for the worst, including Carroll County. But it turns out, they may come out of this crisis even stronger.

“We were really concerned we would see revenue decrease. Much to our surprise, the numbers continue to hold well and increase because we saw more shopping,” said Brad Hurley, the president of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.

The sales tax revenue surpassed $6 million in 2019 — which was already good for a 22% jump over the 2018 fiscal year.

But in 2020, they surpassed $7 million. That’s a 15% jump from 2019, despite a pandemic forcing temporary shutdowns and other restrictions.

“When you shop in Carroll County, you help Carroll County businesses survive and put food on the table for their families, and yet at the same time you’re supporting our local governments, and you’re supporting our school systems,” Hurley said.

Hurley says a few factors helped the county accumulate more revenue from the local option sales tax. But a big driver was the focus on local businesses.

“The state, Chamber, and others talked about the importance of shopping in Carroll County, the importance of helping our small businesses,” Hurley said.

And the biggest benefactors will be local schools. By law, half of the local option sales tax revenue goes to education.

“If someone buys something at Williams Furniture in McKenzie, the students in Clarksburg benefit. If someone buys something at Mack’s Camo Connection in Atwood, the students at Bruceton-Hollow Rock benefit,” Hurley said. “It’s really a win-win when you see the kind of growth that we saw between 2019 and 2020.”

Hurley adds that they are also encouraged by new housing purchases in the area of Thousand Acre Lake.