Marble Falls sales tax receipts jump again
By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
Sales tax distributions for Marble Falls for the month of January climbed more than seven percent above last year's total from the same time period, continuing a trend of sales tax growth for the county's largest city.
Results were mixed for Burnet County's municipalities, however, as four cities saw sales tax revenues increase, but two saw them decrease, including Horseshoe Bay.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced he sent cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts $734.7 million in local sales tax allocations for January, 3.6 percent more than in January 2018. These allocations are based on sales made in November by businesses that report tax monthly.
Sales tax revenues for Marble Falls were at $731,176.23, up 7.08 percent from the $682,827.63 received during January 2018. In Marble Falls, sales tax receipts make up the lion's share of general fund revenues.
After seeing sales tax receipts increase by nearly 21 percent in 2018, Horseshoe Bay saw them drop by 2.01 percent for the first month of 2019. This month, the city, which straddles the Burnet and Llano county line, received $105,089.08, down from $107,245.60 received in January 2018.
Granite Shoals saw a continuance of its sales tax increases from 2018, when the city's sales tax revenue increased by 6.4 percent for the year. For January 2019, sales tax receipts jumped by 13.07 percent from $23,232.13 to $26,270.45.
Burnet saw a decrease of 3.42 percent in the month of January 2019 as the county seat received $165,054.66 in distributions from the Texas Comptroller's office — down from the $170,912.01 received in January 2018.
Bertram's sales tax growth continued as the city experienced an 18.14 percent increase in sales tax revenues in January — the largest percentage increase of any municipality. Bertram received $21,037.93, up from $17,807.12 in January 2018.
Cottonwood Shores saw an increase of 8.84 percent in January 2019, up from $11,689.91 last December to $12,723.99 this January.
Three cities in Burnet County — Marble Falls, Burnet and Granite Shoals — collect the maximum allowable sales tax rate of two percent, while Bertram and Horseshoe Bay collect 1.75 percent and Cottonwood Shores collects 1.5 percent.
