By Moses Leos III

Hays County saw a 7.78 percent increase in the amount of sales tax reported from the year previous according to figures from the state comptroller’s office.

The county brought in just over $3.16 million in sales tax during Nov. 2015. It’s an increase over the county’s sales tax of $2.93 million in Nov. 2014.

For the year, Hays County has seen an eight percent increase in sales tax over last year. Hays County brought in just over $39 million in sales taxes in 2015.

Helping raise Hays County’s sales tax figures in November were Wimberley and Dripping Springs. Each city saw an increase in sales tax by more than ten percent over figures from Nov. 2014.

Wimberley’s sales tax increased by just over 19 percent, while Dripping Springs’ sales taxes grew 13.64 percent from Nov. 2014.

Dripping Springs has so far brought in $1.7 million in sales taxes in 2015, while Wimberley has collected just over $813,000.

Kyle also saw an increase in sales tax collections from last November. The city collected roughly $450,000 in sales taxes, which amounted to a 8.03 percent hike from November 2014. Kyle has collected approximately $5.8 million year-to-date in sales taxes, which is a 20 percent jump from last year. 

While most cities saw sales tax figures increase from last November, other cities in Hays County took a dip.

Buda saw sales tax dollars fall slightly. The city collected just over $438,000 in November, but it was less than what the city brought at this time last year.

The city of Niederwald collected $2,229 in November, but it was still a six percent decrease over what the city collected during the same time frame last year.

Despite the deficit, the city of Niederwald has collected just over $26,000 in year-to-date sales taxes in 2015. That amount is roughly 12 percent higher than what the city gained in the year-to-date category.