Follow the Money: Tracking Where Your Municipality's Revenue Really Goes

Financial resilience requires understanding where every dollar goes, particularly sales tax dollars. The Department of Finance and Administration retains a 3% administrative fee from city sales tax—over $32 million annually and growing. John Wilkerson and Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman will be joined by Rep. Jon Milligan and Rep. Lee Johnson to discuss how that money is used by the state and what options municipalities have to keep more of their revenue local. They will also address the millions spent on sales tax rebates intended to spur economic development, the limited information municipalities receive about those rebates and why understanding where every penny goes is essential to effective leadership. Participants will gain a clear, grounded understanding of how these financial pressures impact municipal budgets and what reforms could help Arkansas cities and towns rise to a stronger fiscal future.