Ending on a high note
Sales tax receipts remain strong, as most Central Texas cities close 2007 ahead of '06
By GAIL LOWE Staff Writer

December sales tax payments to Lampasas County entities were strong this period to close 2007 on a solid note. The rebates are based on local October sales reported to the state comptroller's office in November by businesses that file monthly returns.

The city of Kempner posted a gain of 129 percent in December -- second only to Evant's 150 percent in terms of percentage increase.

More than doubling the December 2006 payment of $3,011, Kempner's check for $6,888 brings its year-end total to $58,705 for a gain of 36 percent. Although sales tax rebates for the east Lampasas County city lagged for the first half of 2007, its collections for September through December grew exponentially: 117 percent in September, 96 percent for October and 74 percent in November, to combine with this month's 129 percent jump.

The city of Lampasas recorded a 12 percent increase for the month. The only other period it posted a higher percentage gain was in September, at 15 percent. With a payment of $99,330 in December, Lampasas has collected $1.2 million in sales taxes for 2007 -- up 3 percent from the $1.18 million it garnered in 2006.

Lometa showed a 7 percent gain in December to mirror its November results. The city closes out the year with total receipts of $42,613, which represents an increase of 9 percent over last year. Lometa's best monthly returns in 2007 came in June and September, when sales taxes were up 43 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

For Lampasas County, December also was a good month. Its halfpercent sales tax levy translated into a rebate of $45,238 this period for a 26 percent gain, second only to the 43 percent jump it posted in May.

September through December showed solid returns for the county, as it posted gains of 23 percent in both September and November, to join this month's double-digit increase. It closes 2007 with total sales tax collections of $515,476, more than 11 percent above the $463,132 received in 2006.

The only city in the surrounding Central Texas counties to end the year with a deficit compared to last year is Burnet. After collecting almost $1.51 million through 12 months of 2006, Burnet garnered just $1.49 million in 2007 -- a dip of 1 percent.

Burnet also recorded a large drop this month. Its December sales tax payment fell 17 percent from the comparable period last year. The county seat had six months in 2007 in which it registered percentage declines, the largest coming in February when sales receipts decreased 26 percent.

By contrast, Marble Falls saw a percentage decline only one period this year. Its December payment of $496,547 brings the 2007 total to $6.26 million for a gain of more than 7 percent over 2006.

Gatesville also ends the year with a 7 percent increase. Its 12- month sales tax total stands at $1.5 million. Best months this year for the Coryell County seat were May and July, when collections were up 25 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

Neighboring city Copperas Cove shows a year-end accumulation of $3.2 million in sales taxes for an increase of 3 percent in 2007. It joins Gatesville in posting an 8 percent gain for the month of December.

In Evant, the city's whopping gains this year -- it had increases that topped 100 percent in January, September and December, plus double-digit increases in six other months -- resulted in a jump of 34 percent over 2006 sales tax figures. For 2007, Evant received a total of $18,406.

The city of Hamilton boasted its second-largest sales tax gain of the year in December, as the local rebate increased 19 percent to $36,141. A big drop in July, however, pushed the entity behind its 2006 levels, and Hamilton was fortunate to close the year with a 1 percent increase and accumulated receipts of $394,665.

December brought solid gains to both San Saba and Goldthwaite, as their monthly sales payments were up 42 percent and 25 percent, respectively, for the period. San Saba ends 2007 with revenues 5 percent ahead of 2006 collections at $308,305; Goldthwaite finishes the year with a 6 percent increase and a 12-month total of $258,592.

Of the state of Texas' sales tax distributions, Comptroller Susan Combs remarked that despite a slowing economy, December rebates were up.

"The final sales tax allocation of 2007 brings total local sales tax allocations for the calendar year to $5.6 billion, surpassing last year's local sales tax revenue by 6.9 percent," she said.

"State sales tax collections through the first three months of fiscal 2008 are up 6.6 percent compared to the same period last year," Mrs. Combs added. "Growth is substantially slower than the vigorous 12 percent and 10.9 percent seen in fiscal 2006 and 2007, respectively. As the pace of the U.S. and Texas economies continues to cool, we expect the growth in Texas sales tax collections will continue to moderate."

GRAPHIC BY ALYCIA HOOPER Only the city of Burnet saw a decline this period, which resulted in its 2007 total sales tax receipts falling behind what it accumulated in 2006. December payments were up significantly in several area cities, most notably Kempner and Evant.