MANSFIELD — It was the best financial launch to summer in recorded Richland County sales tax history.
County officials said Tuesday the county is expected to receive $2.8 million in sales tax revenue in September.
Those figures are based on economic activity in June since sales tax receipts from the state lag three months behind.
Pat Dropsey, in his sixth term as Richland County auditor, said it’s the best single month in sales tax revenue in county history. Sales tax is the single biggest driver of the county’s general fund revenue.
Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero credited tourism for helping drive the numbers, which has now pushed the county to 4.6 percent better year-to-date compared to the first nine months of sales tax revenue in 2025.
It was a busy month for local events in June.
The month included an expanded Party at the Pen vintage motorcycle event at the Ohio State Reformatory; the musical “1776″ at the Brickyard by the Renaissance Theatre; a return to racing at the newly-reopened Mansfield Speedway; and two events at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course — the IMSA O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio and the Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.
Lee Tasseff, president of Destination Mansfield-Richland County, has long been a proponent for the positive impact of tourism on local coffers.
“Is tourism one of the factors that helped drive the numbers in June? Yes, I believe it,” Tasseff told Richland Source after the meeting. “This was primarily new business.
“Other than Mid-Ohio (races), these were all new events. The Party at the Pen doubled in size. It’s relatively new and has gained a foothold.
“Without knowing how the rest of the economy functioned, these events brought tens of thousands of people to the county. That makes a pretty good case tourism made a solid impact on those numbers,” Tasseff said.
The month also included the second Final Friday concert of the summer in the Brickyard, the WestingHOUSE party at the former industrial site and early events for the annual Miss Ohio Scholarship Program.
“We are looking to have a 17-percent increase in sales tax receipts when looking at September 2025,” Vero said.
“This will be the first time since we (Vero and Commissioner Darrell Banks) have been in office (in 2017) that I am showing a month over $2.8 million.”
The record-setting month has pushed this year’s sales tax revenues to $21.3 million with still three months to go. The sales tax revenue budget for all of 2026 is $26.9 million.
Vero said other county revenue sources are also trending up, including interest income and land conveyance fees.
In creating the 2026 general fund budget, commissioners budgeted an increase in expenses of 7.65 percent over 2025. Through August, according to Vero, expenses are up 6.36 percent.
“We’re about 1 percent ahead of where we budgeted to be on the expense side,” he said.
Vero said employee health insurance, salaries, equipment and medical services at the county jail have helped drive increased costs in 2026.
