The largest percentage gain in April was recorded by Lometa, whose sales taxes soared by 29 percent. April sales tax rebates to local government entities showed mixed results again this month, as about half the cities in neighboring counties posted gains this period while the other half recorded percentage declines.

The trend was evident within Lampasas County. Although Lometa had the largest increase among area cities at 29 percent, the April sales tax payment for Kempner was down by a corresponding amount (29 percent), and the city of Lampasas posted a smaller 3 percent drop.

All three cities, however, maintain an increase in total sales tax returns over 2009 through the first four months.

Cumulative 2010 payments for Lampasas total $420,019 -- about $1,600 or 0.3 percent more than it collected through April of last year.

In Lometa, the city coffers show a current-year sales tax total of $18,030, up 8 percent from 2009. And Kempner has a solid 16 percent gain over the previous year, with a four-month total of $38,596.

Lampasas County received an April rebate check for $41,606, only about $100 more than its 2009 allocation for the same period. Yet the county’s cumulative half-percent sales tax levied on goods sold within its jurisdiction is running almost 7 percent ahead of last year. Through the first four months of 2010, it has garnered sales tax receipts of $202,188.

April payments to local entities represent sales that occurred in February.

Burnet County cities continue to struggle with lagging sales tax revenue. In Marble Falls, which hasn’t seen a percentage gain since August 2009, the rebate this month was down 10 percent. A muchlarger 32 percent decline in the city of Burnet wiped out earlier sales tax increases it posted in February and March. Both cities are running behind the total revenue collected for the same period last year. Burnet is down 7 percent at $469,868; Marble Falls trails 2009 by 8 percent with a total of $1.8 million for 2010.

Evant recorded a sizable increase in April, as its payment jumped 25 percent to $1,613. For the first four months of 2010, Evant is 6 percent ahead of last year with payments to date of $7,577.

The city of Hamilton, however, couldn’t match its neighboring city’s results this month. It posted an 8 percent decrease in April and trails 2009 by 9 percent. Its four-month total stands at $128,314.

Goldthwaite and San Saba also have fallen behind last year’s totals (by 1 percent and 4 percent, respectively), but they showed differing results for the month of April. Goldthwaite was up 11 percent, its largest percentage gain in 9 months, while San Saba had a 7 percent decline.

Coryell County cities have 2010 sales tax totals above those of last year, and both Copperas Cove and Gatesville saw gains this period. In Copperas Cove, the April check of $276,338 gave the city a yearly total of almost $1.16 million -- up 2 percent from the comparative 2009 figures.

For Gatesville, the April payment of $114,424 translated into a 3 percent gain over the same four-month period last year with total 2010 receipts of $517,663.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, upon releasing the April allocations to local entities, indicated the decline in sales tax collections is beginning to moderate.

“Following an eight-month stretch of double-digit declines, the pace of revenue losses is slowing,” Mrs. Combs said. “We expect further declines in the near term, followed by a return to sales tax revenue growth later this year.”

Across Texas, the average sales tax payment was down 4 percent this month, compared to April 2009.