City sales tax revenue drops 11%

Local sales tax revenues dropped this month when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar distributed May allocations to the cities of Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick.

Clarendon’s allocation of $37,304.42 reflected an 11.49 percent drop from the same period in 2016. That brings the city’s calendar year-to-date figure to $156,329.33, which is 1.06 percent lower than this time last year.

Hedley saw its figure drop 15.56 percent to $891.76, bringing that city’s year-to-date figure down 11.95 percent at $3,128.69.  Howardwick’s allocation was also down, dropping 33.24 percent to $647.17 for the month and down 19.23 percent at $4,372.74 for the year.

These allocations are based on sales made in March by businesses that report tax monthly, and sales made in January, February and March by quarterly filers.

The weak sales figures also were also reflected in neighboring communities. Memphis was down 9.48 percent, Claude dropped 14.99 percent, Wellington was off 2.06 percent, Panhandle saw a 22.62 percent dive, Pampa slid 4.62 percent, and Silverton fell 19.43 percent.

The City of Childress was an exception to the area downturn, posting a 2.46 percent gain on sales taxes for May.

Statewide, Hegar distributed $787.8 million in local sales tax allocations for May, 2.6 percent more than in May 2016.