The Sturgis Record

Read about our news and latest updates.

Welcome to Sturgis:

Where Neighbors are Friends

Sales Tax and Why it Matters

Shop local. We’ve all heard it. The idea is simple. Spend money in the town in which you live. Support the mom and pop around the corner. This is often easier said than done. Especially when Amazon offers free shipping and speedy delivery for Prime members. You need toilet paper, C cell batteries, or a lime green binder? They have it all. You don’t even have to leave your couch - and it’s free shipping right to your door! So why even bother shopping local when technology has made it so convenient not to? After all, we’re paying sales tax on everything we buy so what does it matter who gets it?

The reason lies in the numbers shown below. Small towns often survive on their tax revenue. Think about it. Town’s don’t necessarily sell a commodity or service so where does the money come from that keeps them afloat? How do they pay for infrastructure, personnel, and other expendatures? The answer is tax revenue. In Sturgis the primary tax diversions are from sales tax and ad valorem tax.

According to data.census.gov the 2020 census revealed the Town of Sturgis is made up of 197 citizens of which 35 of those are aged 65 or older (1). Why does this matter? In MS, “Persons who are 65 years of age and older or who are disabled, upon application and proof of eligibility, are exempt from all ad valorem taxes up to $7,500.00 of assessed value.” (2)  This means roughly 20% of those living in Sturgis don’t pay for property, real or personal, taxes. Hence the importance of sales tax.

Every dollar spent in town supports not only the merchant, but also the town itself. To take it a step further in MS sales tax is 7%. 18.5% of that 7% goes to the town in which the business is located. For example, if you pay $10 in sales tax at a business in Sturgis, $1.85 of that goes to the town. This may not sound like much, but it adds up. In August 2022 Sturgis received $3,851.55 (3) from sales tax. Much of this is thanks to Dollar General opening in town. With the addition of Dollar General we’ve seen roughly a $1,775 increase each month. For comparison in the same time frame Starkville received $671,398.62 (3) from sales tax.

The next time you need toilet paper, gas for your vehicle, or you go out to eat spend your money in Sturgis. The stores are clean, offer friendly service, and the food is good! Resist the urge to shop online for necessities, get your gas on the corner instead of driving 15 minutes to Starkville and eat at our restaurants in town. Each of these business owners work hard each day to bring good things to our town. Having businesses in town is not only good for the community, but it is what is going to keep Sturgis alive. Support Sturgis by shopping Sturgis.

Trunk or Treat in Sturgis

Grab your costumes and candy bags and meet us at the park Tuesday, October 25 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.

If you'd like to decorate your vehicle and pass out candy, please let us know by clicking here to register!

Sturgis Community Market:

A Season in Review

By: Amanda Jacobs 

The inaugural season of the Sturgis Community Market has officially ended. In early Spring 2022 a group of students at Mississippi State University launched a #GrowSturgis campaign. Their aim was to determine how they could help grow Sturgis as part of their class project. In doing so they solicited ideas from the community. Ultimately the class chose to paint the mural “Welcome to Sturgis” along a building on HWY 12 which was much appreciated, but one of the reoccurring themes mentioned by the people was some kind of community or farmers market.

After seeing the interest in the town three community members banded together to bring the idea to fruition. This was no small task. Vendors had to be secured, a location picked out, guidelines developed, and the biggest task of all - get people to actually show up and shop.

The market officially opened May 7th. It was held the first Saturday of the month from May - September. Our vendors had products ranging from woodwork, art, and baked goods to fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We were very please with the variety of goods available for purchase.

The support from the community was initially very strong, we were so happy to see all our neighbors come out and shop with us. However, as the season waned, so did our customers. We went from having large crowds the first few markets to having a noticeably smaller customer base the last few markets.

As a vendor myself, the lack of community members (i.e. customers) coming out and shopping was felt. A question I had to ask myself was, “Is it worth it?” Ultimately, I hung in there because I want to see Sturgis grow and I was one of the three community members who helped create the market. After all, how would it look if the person who wrote the guidelines and reached out to vendors each month to see if they would come didn't come herself? I chose not to give up on what we started or our town. I ask that you don't give up either. For the market to continue long term our community has to support it.

We are excited to see what next season brings. We are working on ideas and ways to get more customers to come out and establish a strong repeat customer base. Our goal is for the market to become a place people look forward to going each month. For this to happen, we need you, our neighbor, to come out and support us. Support Sturgis.

Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on all things happening at the market! See you again in May to kick off the 2023 season!