Gonzales County municipalities end year on positive note with sales tax receipts

Sales tax allocations for Gonzales County were up more than $17,300 for the month of December 2024, an increase of more than 5.7 percent more than the amount received for December a year ago, according to figures released by Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.2 billion in local sales tax allocations for December, 6.8 percent more than in December 2023.

These allocations are based on sales made in October by businesses that report tax monthly.

Combined sales tax allocations for the month of December 2024 for all four municipalities were $319,283.68 — up $17,343.18 or just more than 5.74 percent above the $301,940.50 received in December 2023 and a decrease of $14,483.64 from November’s combined sales tax allocation of $333,767.32.

For the year, Gonzales County municipalities have received a combined total of $3,743,123.33, down $7,988.48 or 0.02 percent less than the $3,751,111.81 received in all of 2023.

Three of the four municipalities in Gonzales County — Gonzales, Nixon and Smiley — saw an increase in sales tax allocations this month. Gonzales saw a 5.65 percent increase, or $14,645.21 more, in sales tax allocations for December 2024.

The largest city in the county, which generates the lion’s share of sales tax revenue, received $281,606.28, compared to $259,299.26 in November 2023. This is $3,921.83 more than the $277,684.45 received in October 2024.

For the year, the city has received $2,894,654.14, down 0.94 percent or $27,729.57 from the $2,922,383.17 Gonzales had received at this point in 2023.

Sales tax receipts also were up for Nixon, which received $39,005.01, up $4,741.83 or 13.83 percent more than the $34,263.18 received in November 2023. It is the best month for Nixon since February 2023, when the city received $40,496.22.

For the year, the city has received $407,152.44, 3.09 percent or $12,215.43 more than the $394,937.01 received in 2023. It is the first time Nixon has received more than $400,000 in sales tax allocations in a year since 2015. Nixon was the only city in the black for the year.

Waelder received a total of $11,412.63, a decrease of $246.02, or 2.11 percent, less than the $11,658.65 received in December 2023, but $1,105.47 more than the $10,307.16 received in November. For the year, Waelder has received a total of $131,324.24, down 4.67 percent or $6,434.82 less than the $137,759.36 the city had received in 2023, when the city set a record for sales tax allocations. The amount received for 2024 is the second-best mark all time for the city.

Finally, Smiley’s sales tax receipts were $2,559.09, down $219.65 or 9.38 percent, below the $2,339.44 received in December 2023. For the year, Smiley received $36,252.24, or 1.85 percent less than the $36,936.97 received in 2023.

Three cities in Gonzales County — Gonzales, Nixon and Waelder — collect a 1.5 percent sales tax rate, while Smiley collects a 1 percent sales tax.

Gonzales County itself also receives a 0.5 percent sales and use tax and for the month of December 2024, the county received $201,535.29. or 5.78 percent less than the $213,902.20 received in December 2023 but $32,962.46 more than the $168,572.83 received in November. For the year, the county has received $2,864,928.80 or 9.27 percent more than the $2,864,928.80 received in 2023. It is the best year for the county for sales tax allocations since 2015.