Published: May 12, 2007 10:30 am         

Mexia drops on monthly sales tax rebates check

The City of Mexia, accustomed to showing increases in the monthly sales tax rebates checks it receives, shows a drop in money from the check received in April.

Latest check hitting the city’s mailbox revealed $191,960.71, a slight drop from the $196,559.67 last April. However, the city shows an increase over year-to-date checks - $851,496.16, compared with the accumulative total of $799,810.92 at this time one year ago.

Elsewhere in Limestone County, Groesbeck got $35,526.60, a 23.63 percent increase from last April’s check, which was for $28,734.13. Groesbeck’s year-to-date checks total $169,638.57, a 16.39 percent increase from the 2006 total of $145,743.57.

Kosse is next in “the money pecking order,” counting $2,077.15 in the April check, compared with $781.29 last April. That’s a whopping increase of 165.86 percent. Kosse is also up for the year’s totals, adding up to $9,437.42, compared to the 2006 total of $6,159.98.

Coolidge received $850.60 in its latest check, an increase from $771.74 last April. However, Coolidge is down for the year’s totals, showing $5,035.87, compared to $6,371.46 at this time a year ago.

Thornton’s latest check amounts to $581.87, down from last April’s check of $845.68. Nevertheless, the City of Thornton is up in its accumulative total of $4,500.73, over last year’s total of $3,472.20.

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In Freestone County, Fairfield continues as the leader and gets an April check of $50,083.13, but representing a drop of 52.64 percent from this time a year ago when the check was for $105,751.54. Nevertheless, Fairfield is up for year-to-date totals ($633,976.29), compared with $549,151.69 in 2006.

Teague’s check amounted to $34,230.30, a drop from $27,363.05 last April. Teague shows a year-to-date increase over that of 2006 - $139,465.68, compared with last year’s $120,267.16.

Wortham receives $4,788.39, down from the $5,148.43 last April, but shows an increase for all money this year - $35,420.51, compared with last year’s accumulative total of $31,396.63.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs says the state received $1.53 billion in sales tax revenue in March, up 11.9 percent, compared with March of 2006. State sales tax revenue for March, and the payments made last month to local governments, represent sales that occurred in February.

“The national economy is showing signs of a slowdown, particularly in the housing sector, but we are still seeing healthy growth in the Texas economy and a corresponding growth in state sales tax revenue,” Combs said.

Local sales tax revenues also continue to grow. Combs sent $404 million in April sales tax allocations to cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts, a 9.7 percent increase compared to April of last year. So far this calendar year, sales tax allocations to local governments are up 6.4 percent.

Comptroller Combs sent April sales tax allocations of $272.4 million to Texas cities, up 9.3 percent compared to April, 2006. Mexia’s latest check did not reflect this state increase. Calendar year-to-date, city sales tax allocations are running 7.1 percent higher than last year. Texas counties received sales tax payments of $24.8 million, up 11.1 percent compared to one year ago. Calendar year-to-date, county sales tax allocations are 8.4 percent higher than last year.