April sales tax receipts flying high in Kempner
Gains posted well above state average
By GAIL LOWE Staff Writer

The city of Kempner is blowing the top off its sales tax records. The growing eastern Lampasas County community garnered a check this month for $9,984, which represents a 317 percent increase over its April 2007 payment of $2,395.

April marks the third consecutive month -- and the fourth time in five months -- Kempner has more than doubled its sales tax receipts from the comparable period last year. Since December 2007 when its local rebate shot up 129 percent, the gains have been 98 percent (January), 104 percent (February) and 103 percent (March).

Through four months of 2008, Kempner has collected $31,584 in sales taxes, a total it took more than eight months to reach last year.

April sales tax allocations to area cities translated into good news for most entities, although none to the extent of Kempner's. In Lometa, the rebate this period meant a gain of 20 percent; for Lampasas, the increase was a modest 5 percent.

Lometa falls $50 short of the four-month total it received through this point in 2007, for a negligible payments-to-date dip of 0.3 percent. Its 2008 revenues stand at $14,311.

The city of Lampasas holds a 5 percent gain over last year, with a 2008 cumulative sales tax total of $401,625.

Lampasas County enjoyed a 20 percent increase this month, with its half-percent sales tax amounting to $42,779.

April allocations to local entities are based on sales made in February and reported to the state comptroller's office by March 20.

The average gain this period for Texas cities was 3 percent, a mark easily eclipsed by most Central Texas entities.

In Evant, sales taxes were up 62 percent in April. The small Hamilton County city has outpaced last year's payments to date by more than 24 percent.

And Burnet saw its sales tax rebate jump 33 percent in April. For the year, the total collected is running 14 percent ahead of 2007 revenues at $531,088.

For Marble Falls, Copperas Cove and Gatesville, the gains were more modest this month but still well ahead of the state average at 9 percent, 10 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

San Saba, which has recorded double-digit increases every period since December, had a disappointing return in April as its rebate for $20,797 was only $80 or 0.4 percent more than it garnered in April 2007. It remains almost 17 percent ahead of last year in cumulative payments, however.

Two area cities recorded percentage declines this month. Hamilton fell 9 percent in April, and Goldthwaite was down for the second time in 2008 with a decline of 5 percent. Both maintain gains over 2007 through the first four months of the year.

"Although the national economy is slowing, here in Texas growth in sales tax collections remains consistent," said Texas Comptroller Susan Combs.

GRAPHIC BY TYSON TERRY Only two area entities showed a percentage decline in April, as most Central Texas cities easily outpaced the average state gain this period of 3 percent. Kempner posted a whopping 317 percent increase for the month.