Published: February 06, 2008 10:59 am         

Mexia starts 2008 with increase on rebate $$$

The City of Mexia, which has a tendency to receive more state rebate tax money with each passing month, started Year 2008 off on a positive note, as well.

In Freestone County, the City of Fairfield did the same and continues to be the city drawing in the most money from Texas Comptroller Susan Combs.

Back in Mexia, the city’s first check issued this year from the Comptroller, amounts to $202,780.65, a modest increase from the January 2007 check of $197,290.98.

Elsewhere in Limestone County, here’s the way the others fared:

*City of Groesbeck, which showed a slight increase at $39,288.15, compared with last January’s check of $38,745.47.

*Coolidge - Also up to $1,028.65, compared to $496.87 in 2007 - a whopping 107.02 percent increase.

*Kosse - A large increase to $4,232.57, from the January ‘07 check totaling $2,750.86.

*Thornton - Down from a year ago when the January check was for $1,002.63. This January check is for $808.46.

Over in Freestone County, the City of Fairfield roped in a check of $139,270.44, increasing from $127,514.35 a year ago.

*Teague - A notable increase to $36,346.61 from the 2007 January check of $26,660.

*Wortham - A slight drop to $7,847.42, from last year’s January check of $8,892.64.

Combs announced that that the state collected $1.83 billion in sales tax revenue from December, up by 9.1 percent compared to December in 2006.

Combs sent cities, counties, transit systems and special-purpose taxing districts their first sales tax allocations of 2008 - $448.3 million, up 7.3 percent compared to January of 2007.

December state sales tax collections and January allocations to local governments represent sales that occurred in November.

“Since the state’s 2008 fiscal year began last September, sales tax collections are up 7.3 percent compored to the same point in fiscal 2007,” Combs said.”While increases have moderated compared to those of the past two years, solid sales tax growth continues.”

The Comptroller sent January sales tax allocations of $303.2 million to Texas cities, up 7.4 percent compared to January 2007. Texas counties received sales tax payments of $26.8 million, up 5.7 percent compared to last January.