Published: August 11, 2006 04:58 pm         

Mexia spurts upward on tax rebate $$$

The City of Mexia continues to rake in big bucks on “state returns” - the monthly sales tax rebate check.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn issued state sales tax allocation checks of $412.4 million in July to cities, counties and other local taxing entities, up 19.7 percent compared to last July. So far this calendar year, sales tax allocations to local governments are running 15.9 percent higher than last year.

In connection with the allocations’ anouncement, Strayhorn said the state received $1.49 billion in sales tax revenue in June, up 15.6 percent, compared to June of 2005. June state sales tax collections, and July sales tax allocations to local governments mostly represent sales that occurred in May.

The City of Mexia’s latest sales tax rebate check is for $187,190.04, representing an 11.49 percent increase. Last July’s check had been $167,886.98. Mexia is also up on the year-to-date allocation, representing a 12.87 percent increase from a year ago. So far this year, Mexia has gotten $1,421,132.66, compared with last year-to-date which was $1,259,000.88.

Statewide, July sales tax allocation checks to Texas cities totaled $277.6 million, up 19.3 percent, compared with July 2005. Calendar year-to-date totals in city sales tax allocations are up 15.1 percent compared to the same period last year.

“The strong Texas economy continues to generate double-digit gains in sales tax for the state and many local governments,” Strayhorn said.

Elsewhere in Limestone County, the City of Groesbeck is recipient of $44,493.26 in its July check, a good increase of 41.24 percent over the $31,501.81 in July 2005. Groesbeck also is up on its year-to-date totals of $282,627.09, over the $254,458.93 in 2005.

Coolidge counts $757.75 in its latest check, down from the $846.22 received last July. However, Coolidge is up to $13,529.38 for year-to-date, compared with last year’s accumulative total of $10,707.41.

Kosse’s latest check is for $3,697.21, a whopping 307.59 percent increase over last year’s July check, which was for $907.09. Kosse shows a big increase in year-to-year totals - $12,626.16, compared with last year’s total of $8,917.93.

Thornton was recipient of $486.15 in July, a decrease from last July when the check was for $602.55. Nevertheless, Thornton is up for the year’s totals, to $6,435.43, from the 2005 totals of 5,549.97.

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in Freestone County, leader of the pack, as usual, is the City of Fairfield, which counts $147,954.63 among its July blessings. That’s a large increase of 52.35 percent over last July when the check amounted to $97,110.03. Fairfield is nearing the million-dollar mark for the year’s total, which is $991,834.40, an increase from last year’s accumulative total of $743,739.84.

Teague’s July check total is $24,887.92, a 32.37 percent drop from last July’s check of $36,801.65. Teague is also down on its year-to-date totals, which stand at $226,526.46, compared with the 2005 total of $273,337.91.

Wortham is down for the amount in its July check, but is up in its year’s totals. The latest check registers $6,748.64, a slight drop from the $7,053.34 last July. Wortham shows an increase for the year’s totals, which stand at $58,963.22, compared with a year-ago total of $54,008.91.