City Issues October Sales Tax and November Transit Reports

City officials have released the October Sales Tax Report and November Transit Ridership Reports:

CITY RELEASES OCTOBER SALES TAX REPORT

RAPID CITY, SD—The City’s sales tax report through October shows the sales tax collections for the first 10 months of 2024 total more than $72.2 million ($72,216,067), a 3.47 percent increase over the nearly $69.8 million ($69,796,064) reported in sales tax collections for the January through October period of 2023.

            The total of sales tax receipts collected in October set a record for receipts received in the 10th month of the year.  Nearly $7.3 million was collected in October, shattering by more than $500,000 the previous mark of $6.78 million in sales tax receipts collected in October 2023.

            The October sales tax report is among the agenda items under review and discussion for today’s meeting (December 11) of the City’s Legal and Finance Committee,

            The breakdown of sales tax collections in October include:

• The tourism sales tax collected in October totaled $513,043 – a 9.76 percent increase and considerably higher than the $467,434 collected in October of last year.  Through 10 months of 2024, more than $5.17 million has been received in tourism sales tax receipts, a 3.64 percent increase over the first 10 months of 2023 ($4.99 million).
• General fund city sales tax receipts collected in October totaled nearly $3.39 million – a 7.31 percent increase over the $3.15 million collected in October 2023.  The 10-month total for this category of receipts stands at more than $33.53 million, a 3.51 percent increase over the $32.4 million collected in the classification for the first 10 months of 2023.
• General Fund sales tax collections are running approximately one-half of one percent lower than budgeted by the City.

            “The sales tax receipts were impressive for October,” said City Finance Director Daniel Ainslie. “It was a good start for the beginning of the final quarter of the year.  We’re hoping for great sales activity in November and December with great community and regional events around the holidays and hoping nice weather brings many people to town.”

CITY RELEASES NOVEMBER TRANSIT USAGE REPORT

RAPID CITY, SD—Rapid Transit System (RTS) has released overall and youth ridership numbers for November.  All indicators continue to reflect significant use in terms of overall ridership on the RTS system and with ‘Youth Ride Free’ program ridership on the RapidRide bus system.  November numbers were impacted by public schools closed for seven days during the month and City transit operations suspended for Veterans Day and the Thanksgiving holiday period.

For more information about the RTS program, visit  www.rapidtransitsystem.org or call 605-394-6631. 

OVERALL RIDERSHIP

            Rapid Transit System recorded 21,689 passenger trips in November, a 14 percent increase over the ridership totals from November 2023 (18,736).  Last month’s ridership numbers were 25 percent higher – an additional 5,500 passenger trips – than the number recorded just two years ago in November 2022 (16,185).

November’s ridership is up 26 percent over the ridership numbers recorded in October 2021 (16,030) and a whopping 47 percent increase over the November 2020 ridership totals (11,550).

The Rapid Transit System includes the RapidRide and Dial-A-Ride transportation programs.

YOUTH RIDERSHIP IN NOVEMBER

            Rapid Transit’s November ridership numbers included continued solid usage by youth riders.  A total of 5, 825 youth passenger trips were recorded in November, a 16 percent increase or nearly 1,000 more youth passenger trips, over the ridership numbers recorded in November 2023.   7,466 youth passenger trips were recorded in October, a 30 percent increase – an additional 2,200 passenger trips – over the youth trips recorded in October 2023.  Youth ridership in October was also up over the September numbers. 

            The ‘Youth Ride Free’ program numbers for last month represent a 40 percent increase – approximately 2,340 more youth passenger trips – from the ridership numbers of three years ago in November 2021 (3,485).