Edmond's March sales tax check shows drop in growth

“Our last three checks have been 15.49 percent, 2.97 percent and now, 1.08 percent,” said City Manager Larry Stevens of the growth rate.

City officials questioned that the last two checks were correct because of a new computer system being used by the state Tax Commission.

“The last few months, the system has been having troubles,” said Ross VanderHamm, the city's finance director and city clerk. “I am not making any assessments. I won't be surprised if it is more or less.”

In January, Edmond was shorted $500,000 on its sales tax collection check.

For the fiscal year, Edmond has seen a 15.2 percent growth in sales tax revenues compared to the previous year. The city has collected $45,356,504, which is up by $11,254,653.

City officials attributed four months' worth of the sales tax increase to the purchase of materials for roof repairs from a summer hailstorm.