March sales tax rebates up
Kempner reflects whopping 103 percent increase; gains also seen in Lampasas
By GAIL LOWE Staff Writer

With the exception of Lometa, all area entities not only posted sales tax gains this month, but most significantly outpaced the average increase across the state of 9 percent.

In Lometa, March sales tax revenue dropped 27 percent from the same period last year and is off 6 percent through the first quarter of 2008. The city collected $2,157 this month, down almost $800 from March 2007. Lometa also recorded a small 4 percent decline in February.

For the cities of Lampasas and Kempner, however, the sales tax rebates this month showed strong growth. Lampasas had a 12 percent increase, and Kempner -- as it has for the third consecutive period and fifth time in six months -- posted the largest percentage gain in the region at 103 percent.

Year-to-date receipts for Kempner ($21,600) also have more than doubled what it collected in 2007 through the first three months of the year.

Lampasas shows a 4 percent increase this year with accumulated sales tax receipts of $310,415.

March payments to local cities are based on taxes collected in January that were reported to the state comptroller by Feb. 20.

Lampasas County reported a gain of 27 percent this month as its share of the sales tax allocation. It has posted double-digit increases since November 2007, and for 2008 is running almost 17 percent ahead of last year's receipts through March. Total sales taxes this year are $140,497.

Goldthwaite garnered a check this period of $20,178, which represents a 51 percent jump and was enough to bring the Mills County city out of its year-to-date deficit. After posting an 18 percent drop in January, Goldthwaite's coffers have pulled ahead of 2007 sales tax rebates by 9 percent.

San Saba, Hamilton and Evant all recorded monthly sales tax gains that topped 20 percent for the period.

Thus far into 2008, they also remain significantly ahead of last year: San Saba, at 21 percent with total receipts of $91,466; Hamilton, at 19 percent with $113,941 received; and Evant, at 15 percent with collections of $4,904.

The city of Burnet earned a $114,023 payment this month to go up 15 percent over March 2007. Its first-quarter total of $391,132 is $30,000 or 8 percent more than it took in for the same period last year.

In Marble Falls, sales tax receipts now top $1.5 million for the year, giving it a 3 percent edge over 2007. Its March check for $466,135 represents a 13 percent gain.

In Coryell County, Copperas Cove had a 19 percent increase this month, and Gatesville saw its sales tax revenues move ahead 8 percent. Both cities remain well ahead of 2007 revenues to date. Copperas Cove is up 12 percent at $884,205, while Gatesville shows a year-todate gain of 7 percent with sales taxes totaling $391,467 through the first quarter.

State Comptroller Susan Combs reported that growth is slower than was evidenced the two previous fiscal years in Texas, but increases in state sales tax revenues continue at a steady pace.

The next month's sales tax allocation will be made in mid-April. Only Lometa showed a decrease in sales taxes this period, and all area entities except Gatesville posted increases that surpassed the state's average gain for March of 9 percent.