09/13/2026
SALES TAX UPDATE: The City's General Fund is its main accounting "bucket." General Fund revenues - the largest being property tax and sales tax - enter this bucket and are then spent to provide general city services - the largest being public safety, but also including streets, parks, etc. Sales tax was once a huge contributor to City services, but declined as the Outlet Mall declined. That's significant not just because the money is impactful, but because sales tax is a way for Hillsboro to attract dollars from people who don't live here. Most city revenues - property taxes, water bill payments, etc. - come from our citizens/customers, which makes sense because that's who receives the services. With sales tax, we can attract payments into our city coffers from folks who are just passing through. That's why it's good for Hillsboro to have businesses along the interstate that grab those passing dollars. This year, our sales tax was down from last year until May. From April to July we went from being -5% compared to last year to +16%. This indicates that The Point at Hillsboro is beginning to pay back the City's investment!
