Austin sales tax collections increase

Sales tax allocations for Austin, as well as other cities in Texas, have grown over the past year, according to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. For Austin, February sales tax collections were up 7.55 percent over last year’s collections. Hegar reported that the city would receive more than $27.8 million, up from $25.9 million last year. Overall this year, Austin’s sales tax collections are 1.61 percent higher than a year ago, but that may not be enough. The city’s chief financial officer, Ed Van Eenoo, told City Council in February that the city may not receive 4 percent more than last year as projected by this year’s budget. So sales tax collections must continue to grow in order to meet budget expectations. Round Rock will be receiving 10 percent more in sales tax revenue this quarter than a year ago. This quarter, Round Rock will receive $8,879,280.38, as compared to $8,049,727.30 a year ago.