Eight-five (85) flavors of popcorn. Sweets, too!

There’re new signs on Main Street: “10 minute curbside pickup.” And a cop on his scooter thing tagging rear tires with some magic fairy dust to apprehend offeners.

Also new in Starkvegas– increased sales tax. I don’t like the idea but am sympathetic– sort of. I don’t know how sales tax works in other states but in Mississippi eighteen and one half percent (18.5%) of the 7% state sales tax is “diverted” back to the municipality in which it was collected. Starkville ended the fiscal year (which starts in July) with a 1.6% shortfall compared to 2019, about $110,000. So the powers that be added another three percent onto the sales tax. Diversions to Starkville are now up 6.8% through August.

The three percent increase in Starkvegas is no doubt intended to put a bandaid on the coming blood bath. Last year September’s diversion was $658,313. If you do the math, that represents the sale of $52,200,000 worth of goods and services within the city limits of Starkvegas. It’s more than December, 2019. (And remember, MSU is its own entity. It’s not part of town. It gets its own diversion. It ended the year down ~17%.) So while sales are up July-August– the two months where folks could start doing things– business is likely to crater this fall.

Small example. Remember when we did four or five Arts & Sciences Tailgates each season? Fun times. We– and by we I mean Mr. Big Food and I– did ALL of the cooking. We did almost all of the shopping. We could bring a tailgate for 120 people in for just at or under $500. I doubt too many other tailgates that size– and there were a lot bigger– could do that. So we’re talking, for us alone, $2000-2500 worth of groceries we’re not buying in Starkville. Increase $500 to well over $1000 for a catered tailgate, multiply that by the number of tailgater and home games. We are taking some very serious money.

Those people who are not going to tailgates are also not staying in hotels rooms, eating out, and buying a new State hoodie for $70.

So yeah. I have some sympathy for the city of Starkville. But I am really sorry for the businesses.