Sales tax allocations back up for Gonzales County municipalities in April

Sales taxes for Gonzales County municipalities in April 2024 were just slightly better than what they received last April — but much better than what they had received just a month ago.

Combined sales tax allocations for the month of April 2024 for all four municipalities were $294,990.92 — up just $970.20 or 0.34 percent more than the $294,020.72 received in April 2023. However, that amount was $47,903.13, or 19.4 percent, greater than the $247,087.79 the communities received this March.

The upward trend came after the cities in Gonzales County had seen lower combined sales tax allocations in six of the previous seven months. Other areas of the state had also been feeling the pinch of decreased sales tax receipts.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced last week he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.03 billion in local sales tax allocations for April, 5.5 percent more than in April 2023. These allocations are based on sales made in February by businesses that report tax monthly.

For the year, Gonzales County municipalities have received a combined total of $1,161,520.87, down $82,632.02 or 6.64 percent from the $1,244,152.89 received as of this point last year.

Sales tax allocations for April 2024 for Gonzales, the largest city in the county which generates the lion’s share of sales tax revenue, were $249,946.79, up 2.28 percent or $5,578.50 from the $244,368.29 the city received last April. It was the second-best sales tax allocation for April in Gonzales history and the best in nine years.

It also was $44,074.79 than the city had received just one month ago, when the March allocation brought in just $205,872, as perhaps the city has begun to see a return to good fortune.

For the year, the city has received $981,991.99, down 6.61 percent or $69,590.83 from the $1,051,582.82 Gonzales had received at this point in 2023.

Sales tax receipts were also up for Nixon, which received $34,501.12, up $3,740.30 or 12.15 percent more than the $30,760.82 received in April 2023. This was also up $5,506.19 above the $28,994.93 received in March 2024. For the year, the city has received $128,686.04, 3.79 percent or $5,076 less than the $133,762.04 received through this time last year.

Waelder received a total of $8,238.72, which is a little unfair to compare to their all-time record of $16,327.73 received in April 2023. This is a decrease of 49.54 percent from the year before, which may have been an aberration. However, it is also down $1,280.75 from the $9,519.47 the city received in March 2024.

For the year, Waelder has received a total of $38,315.72, or $8,899.42 less than the $47,215.14 the city had received through this time last year, though, as previously stated, this may be an unfair comparison for Waelder.

Finally, Smiley’s sales tax receipts were $2,304.29, down $259.59 or 10.12 percent from the $2,563.88 received in April 2023. For the year, Smiley is the only city in the black, having received $12,527.12, or 8.05 percent more than the $11,592.89 received through the first four months of 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 April 2024, the county received $217,654.65, or 14.55 percent more than the $189,995.52 received in April 2023. For the year, the county has received $1,202,567.07, 42.09 percent more than the $846,311.02 received through this point last year.