By Andy Sevilla
Buda and Kyle, which each took in about $400,000 in sales tax collections this month, experienced revenue increases of almost 30 percent when compared to March 2014.
Buda collected $400,700 in sales tax revenue this month, up 27.1 percent over its $315,000 collection last March. Meanwhile, Kyle collected $383,000 this month, marking an increase of 27.9 percent over its $300,000 sales tax revenue in March 2014.
Sales tax revenues this month represent sales made in January.
So far this year, Buda has collected $1.16 million in total sales tax revenue, and Kyle has received $1.13 million, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office most recent sales tax figures.
Dripping Springs also collected close to 30 percent in sales tax revenue this month, according to the comptroller’s report.
Dripping Springs received $118,000 in sales tax collections this month, up 27.3 percent over its $93,000 allocation last March. In the first three months of 2015, Dripping Springs has collected a total $417,000.
Wimberley, which collected $43,300 in sales tax revenue this month, experienced a 17 percent gain over its collection last March, according to the comptroller report. Wimberley received $37,000 in revenue in March 2014.
From January through March, Wimberley has collected a total $184,700 in sales tax revenues, outpacing its collections during the same months last year by 13.6 percent.
In eastern Hays County, Niederwald and Uhland both experienced double-digit increases this month when compared to the same month last year.
Niederwald, which collected $1,800 in sales tax revenue this month, saw an increase of 15.5 percent over its $1,500 collection during the same month last year, according to the report.
Uhland collected $11,100, marking an 18 percent gain over its $9,400 collection last March.
San Marcos, which collected the highest dollar amount of any other city in Hays County, experienced sales tax growth of slightly less than five percent this month over last March.
America’s fastest growing city, San Marcos, received $1.8 million in sales tax revenue this month. Last March, the city received $1.7 million, according to the comptroller’s report.
So far this year, San Marcos has collected $7.1 million in total revenue.
Hays County, which collects a half-percent of every sale made within its borders, collected $1.1 million in sales tax revenue this month. That collection marks an 8.8 percent increase over its $1 million revenue last March.
Hays County has received $4 million in total sales tax revenue in the first quarter of 2015.
Statewide this month, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar will distribute $590.1 million in revenue to cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts.
“This marks the 59th consecutive month of year-over-year growth — an encouraging sign that Texas’ diverse economic engine continues to drive spending growth in households and businesses all over the state,” Hegar said in a statement.
“Receipts from manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade showed strong growth,” he added. “And despite the decline in oil and natural gas prices, tax receipts from the oil and natural gas sector were once again up sharply over last year.”
The statewide revenue this month is up 6.7 percent compared to March 2014.