Mexia over $2 million in 2007 tax rebates

By Bob Wright-Editor

November 01, 2007 10:38 am

— The City of Mexia this year has surpassed the two-million dollar mark in sales tax rebates, and with receiving the October check, the city coffers have become $2,159,447.11 richer. This compares with $2,030,071.26 in accumulative totals this time a year ago.
Mexia’s October check is for $204,644.28, up from the 2006 October total of $189,709.10.
From this month’s check, the Mexia Economic Development Corporation (EDC) receives $51,161.07.
Also this month, elsewhere in Limestone County, the City of Groesbeck gets $41,390.53, an 18.42 percent increase over October of one year ago. Groesbeck also shows an increase for total sales tax rebate money received, compared with a year ago - $440,899.43 to $409,813.99.
Coolidge’s latest check is for $1,176.78, a 59.97 percent increase from a year ago’s $735.62. However, Coolidge is down from total money for the year, compared with 2006 when the total was $18,700.09. This year, the accumulative total is $16,037.86.
Kosse’s check amounts to $3,039.11, an increase from $2,699.20 in 2006. Kosse has an increase of 47.11 percent in year’s total - $29,101.44, compared with $19,781.45 at this time last year.
Thornton is up in one category, down in another: The latest check is for $698.70, down from the $953.82 total last October; The last yearly total was $9,369.35, compared with this year’s total of $13,631.23.
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In Freestone County, the “big guy” on the block is the City of Fairfield, recipient of $158,034.46 this month, down from the $160,424.15 last year at this time. Nevertheless, Fairfield increases on year’s total, to $1,745,012.83, from $1,498,968.11.
Teague’s latest check amounts to $39,875.93, a 67.39 percent increase over last October’s $23,821.58. Teague is also up for the year, registering a 23.59 percent increase from $314,706.74 to $388,971.67.
Wortham shows an increase in the October check, from $8,090.07 to $8,906.84. Wortham has a big increase on the books for the year’s total. Last year it was $89,954.72 through October. This month, the total for the year is $160,088.55.
In issuing this month’s sales tax rebate checks, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs reports the state took in $1.62 billion dollars in sales tax in September, a 7 percent increase over September, 2006.
September state sales tax collections and October allocations of local tax revenue represent sales which occurred in August and were reported to the Comptroller in September.
Combs sent $443.7 million in monthly sales tax payments to Texas cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts, up 6.8 percent compared to last October. So far in 2007, local sales tax allocations are 6.9 percent higher last year.
“Growth in September sales tax collections slowed slightly, but continues to increase at a healthy rate,” Combs said. “Receipts from the mining, manufacturing and retail sectors continue to demonstrate the current strength of the Texas economy.”
Combs sent sales tax allocations of $300.8 million to Texas cities, 6.4 percent more than in October of 2006. Calendar year-to-date, city sales tax allocations are up 7 percent. Texas counties received October sales tax payments of $27.8 million, up 9.6 percent compared to a year ago. Calendar year-to-date county sales tax allocations are 8.4 percent higher than last year.