Wetumpka City Council okays sales tax increase

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The Wetumpka City Council approved an amendment to the current tax ordinance raising the sales tax by one percent during Monday’s council meeting.

By a vote of four to one, the amendment passed. It’s the first sales tax increase the city has seen in more than 20 years — raising the tax from 8 percent to 9. Translation: the city will now collect 4 cents on every dollar spent.

This raises the tax from an 8 percent sales tax rate to 9 percent, meaning the city will collect 4 cents per dollar spent.

Wetumpka AlabamaCurrently Wetumpka’s combined tax rate is 8 percent, the lowest in the River Region. Nearby municipalities all have higher sales tax rates:

  • Millbrook: 8.5 percent
  • Prattville: 9.5 percent
  • Montgomery: 10 percent

According to alabamanews.net, Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis says the increase will generate nearly two million dollars in revenue that the city will use to grow it’s savings reserves and pay off the city’s debts.

“We’ve depleted a lot of our reserves,” Willis said. “We’ve gotta build those back in case of emergencies and different that we could get ourselves into.”

More than 120 city employees will also see a raise, many of whom have not had a raise in over five years.

Wetumpka’s new sales tax increase will take effect in September