While Kingsville and Kleberg County experience another decline this month in revenue generated by the city sales tax, Bishop and neighboring Driscoll recorded a healthy increase in city sales tax revenue.

The office of Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has distributed monthly sales tax allocations of $282.8 million to Texas cities for October, down 7.3 percent compared to last October.

Texas counties received sales tax allocations of $25.5 million, down 10.7 percent compared to a year ago.

The city of Bishop received $15,083 for October compared to $13,239 last October, and increase of 13.9 percent.

Year-to-date sales tax revenue of $147,217 is 4.7 percent less than the same period last year of $154,536.

The city of Driscoll received $3,611 for October compared to $3,270 last October, an increase of 10.4 percent, while year-to-date sales tax revenue of $33,960 is 11 percent less than the same period last of $38,153.

The city of Kingsville collected sales tax revenue of $307,169 in October compared to $325,772 for the same period last year, a decline of 5.7 percent. Yearto date revenue collected is $3,186,328 compared to $3,231,932 for the same period last year, a decline of only 1.4 percent.

Kleberg County collected $111,454 this month compared to $131,200 for a decline of 15.1 percent. Year-to-date sales tax revenue stands at $1,155,334 compared to $1,272,423 for the same period in 2008 for a decline of 9.20 percent.

By comparison, the city of Alice recorded a decline of 31.4 percent for October compared to the same period last year. The city of Corpus Christi recorded a decline of 11 percent in October compared to the same period last year.

Combs said the state collected $1.47 billion in sales tax in September, down 12.5 percent compared to a year ago. Sales tax revenue collected in September was distributed this month.

“Declining sales tax collections, which began in February, have continued with September’s collections,” Combs said.

“Weakness is still evident in all major sectors of the state economy, including oil and natural gas, retail trade, and construction. Decreases in monthly collections are expected to continue through the end of 2009.”

Combs sent local governments $418.5 million in monthly sales tax allocations, a 7.6 percent decrease compared to a year ago. So far this calendar year, local sales tax allocations are down 3.7 percent compared to the same period in 2008.

The 153 special purpose taxing districts around the state got $16.7 million in sales tax revenue, a decrease of 1.4 percent compared to a year ago.