Sales tax down

Odessa’s sales tax check for December was better than getting coal in a stocking, but not much better.

The less-than-stellar sales tax check for Odessa came just a day after the City Council decided to tighten belts by keeping salaries the same for five council-appointed positions.

For the month of December, Odessa received a sales tax check of $1,564,570.49. That amount is down 25.2 percent from a $2,091,614.17 check in December 2008.

Last year, the December numbers were up 17.4 percent from December 2007.

“We’ve probably seen four months of about 25 percent reductions,” assistant city manager James Zentner said. “And we’re not seeing a change.”

Of the sales tax revenue, the city received $1,251,656.39 while the Odessa Development Corp. will get $312,914.10. The Ector County Hospital District brought in $1,426,023.72 in December, a 33.98 percent drop from a year ago.

A news release issued by the City of Midland showed the year-to-date sales tax revenue for fiscal year 2009-2010 to be down 26.26 percent.

But not everything is doom and gloom for Zentner.

“I am hearing out in the community that things are improving a little bit,” Zentner said. “There is a lag time before that starts and we see it in sales tax numbers.”

Sales tax revenue is generated by sales tax income from two months prior collection. December collection is based on October sales.

By the numbers

Here is a look at November sales tax checks for area cities and how the checks compare July 2009:

City                         Check        Pct. Change

1. Alpine               $87,803.35              down 6.42
2. Andrews           $245,940.15            down 36.25
3. Big Lake            $60,759.04              down 30.15
4. Big Spring         $384,669.38            down 19.28
5. Crane              $40,129.31              down 33.47
6. Fort Stockton   $194,102.42            down 18.61
7. Goldsmith         $13,592.09              down 59.54
8. Grandfalls         $1,915.50                down 10.92
9. Kermit                $49,659.51              down 9.31
10. Lamesa              $90,754.44              down 1.29
11. Marfa                $21,745.82              down 3.99
12. McCamey         $21,235.97              down 20.28
13. Midland            $2,463,151.14         down 28.9
14. Monahans        $109,849.42            down 26.37
15. Odessa              $1,564,570.49         down 25.2
16. Pecos                 $106,899.58            down 20.46
17. Presidio             $25,902.40              down 7.63
18. Pyote                 $0.00                     down 100
19. Rankin               $7,008.73                up 15.99
20. Seminole           $88,199.94              down 12.01
21. Stanton             $27,494.52              down .10
22. Toyah                $393.12                 down 23.15
23. Wickett             $13,682.28              up 26.77
24. Wink                 $10,249.37              down 16.22