Cookeville Leads in Volume While Smaller Cities Show Steady Gains
(UCBJ) – Putnam County sales tax collections increased 7.2% in May compared to the same month a year ago, according to Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter.
“Some of the larger changes may be corrections from previous months,” according to Porter.
Collections reached $5.96 million in May, up from $5.53 million in May 2025. Putnam’s collections rose 16.8% to $656,604 from $546,588 a year earlier.
Numbers at a glance:
- Cookeville collections increased 6.6% to $4.55 million
- Algood rose 1.8% to $506,958
- Baxter reported a 3.7% increase to $126,435
- Monterey collections climbed 2.6% to $122,746
According to the numbers, Fiscal year numbers remain ahead of Pace Through May, sales tax collections have exceeded year-ago levels in nine of the first 11 months of the fiscal year. The strongest gains came in April, when collections increased 9.6%, followed by March at 9.3% and February at 9%.
Total collections for fiscal year 2025-26 are $63.02 million through May, compared to $64.68 million collected during the full 2024-25 fiscal year.
June figures have yet to be reported, but collections have topped year-earlier levels in every month since September except August, which declined 0.7%.
Here are the sales tax numbers for May 2026.
| MUNICIPALITY | April 2026 | April 2025 | Difference |
| Putnam County | 656,604 | 546,588 | 16.8% |
| Cookeville | 4,545,128 | 4,245,137 | 6.6% |
| Algood | 506,958 | 497,833 | 1.8% |
| Baxter | 126,435 | 121,818 | 3.7% |
| Monterey | 122,746 | 119,523 | 2.6% |
| Total | 5,957,872 | 5,530,899 | 7.2% |
| Month | 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 | INC/DEC |
| July | 5,397,546.19 | 5,701,684.00 | 5.3% |
| August | 5,666,030.62 | 5,628,098.67 | -0.7% |
| September | 5,406,390.73 | 5,765,805.90 | 6.2% |
| October | 5,289,209.00 | 5,670,821.29 | 6.7% |
| November | 5,377,181.91 | 5,638,701.32 | 4.6% |
| December | 5,411,473.63 | 5,837,817.18 | 7.3% |
| January | 6,244,703.29 | 6,495,466.39 | 3.9% |
| February | 4,584,521.63 | 5,036,653.46 | 9.0% |
| March | 4,684,169.86 | 5,161,964.88 | 9.3% |
| April | 5,536,242.03 | 6,122,852.92 | 9.6% |
| May | 5,530,898.59 | 5,957,871.93 | 7.2% |
| June | 5,548,617.42 | ||
| TOTALS | 64,676,984.90 | 63,017,737.94 |
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