GRAPHIC BY KIM BRENNAN All Lampasas County cities, along with Copperas Cove and Gatesville, showed positive sales tax growth this month. Lometa recorded the largest percentage gain for this period at 36 percent, while the city of Hamilton had an equally large drop in January. Sales tax allocations have started quite strong in 2010 for Lampasas County entities.

Among those in the surrounding area, only the Coryell County cities of Copperas Cove and Gatesville joined Lampasas, Kempner and Lometa in posting a percentage increase in January.

The city of Lampasas recorded a 4 percent gain this period to mark its third consecutive monthly increase. Its January sales tax rebate of $101,911 climbed more than $4,100 above the $97,799 it collected in January 2009.

January payments to local governments are based on sales that occurred in November.

Sales tax rebates to Texas cities dropped an average of 11 percent this month compared to one year ago.

In Kempner and Lometa, doubledigit gains were recorded in January.

Lometa, with a 19 percent jump, had the highest percentage increase this period among area cities -- the fourth time in the last five months it has outpaced neighboring communities. Its sales tax rebate amounted to $4,250 in January.

Kempner rebounded from several months of sales tax decreases to post a 28 percent gain for the first month of 2010. A January check for $11,193 was almost $2,500 more than it garnered for the same period last year.

Lampasas County also had a sales tax increase this month. Its halfpercent levy translated into a pay- ment of $47,824, up 6 percent from January 2009.

In Coryell County, Copperas Cove and Gatesville saw their sales tax payments rise 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in January. Both cities noted sluggish sales throughout 2009.

Among area entities that showed decreases this month in their sales tax allocations, Burnet and Evant recorded the smallest drops at 5 percent.

The city of Hamilton had the largest percentage decline at 36 percent. Its monthly rebate fell from $33,723 in January 2009 to $21,523 for this period.

San Saba posted a 7 percent dip for the first month of 2010. The January check of $25,785 was down almost $2,100 from the $27,869 it received last year for the comparable period.

In Marble Falls, the local sales tax rebate continues to slip. The city has not shown a percentage gain since August, when its sales were up just 2 percent. Although Marble Falls posted a 12 percent decline in January, its payment of $428,174 remains the largest rebate of any distributed in the sixcounty area.