by BOB BARTON
Buoyed by a big boost in December sales tax revenues of more than 15 percent above last year’s totals, the four largest cities in the county, as well as the Hays County government itself, wrapped up the 2010 calendar year with impressive numbers.
County government’s final sales tax take was slightly more than $791,000, an increase of more than $125,000 above last December’s, pushing its year’s total to nearly $10 million. That comes from a half-cent sales tax collected from all affected businesses located in Hays.
In city government comparisons, Buda finished the year with a total income of $3,235,000, keeping its lead over Kyle’s $2,996,000. However, Kyle’s increase over last year registered at 14 percent while Buda barely topped last year’s final number.
Kyle has registered more sales tax receipt growth than Buda over the past two years. But Buda’s lead earlier in the decade put them out front for perhaps another year, (or maybe longer, since a big Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant is moving toward completion across from Cabela’s.
San Marcos had a very good month in December and closed the year with nearly $18.8 million in sales tax receipts. That is a solid 5.5 percent increase over their last year totals.
Fastest growth in receipts in the county is being registered in Dripping Springs, where the opening of a big HEB store is largely responsible for its 21 percent increase over last year. However, the $886,000 total in sales tax receipts for the year leaves it far behind both Buda and Kyle.
The only bit of bad economic news comes from the Wimberley totals. That up county town’s total receipts for the year was only $559,000, a decrease of almost four percent from last year’s final total of $582,000.
The other six incorporated cities end the year with mixed results. Increases were registered by Uhland with $53,000, and Mountain City, with a little more than $5,000. Registering declines were Woodcreek with $33,000, Niederwald with $20,000, and Hays City with $15,000.
Overall, the 1,143 cities in Texas that collect sales taxes showed a less than one percent increase in sales tax collection above the 2009 totals. The 91 counties that also collect a sales tax did even worse, falling a little more than one percent below last year’s totals.
The calendar year tax totals are actually the sales tax revenues from November of 2009 through October of 2010, as reported by State Comptroller Susan Combs. San Marcos, Kyle and Buda collect one and a half percent on every taxable sale, Dripping Springs collects one and a quarter percent and all other Hays County cities collect only one percent.
