Sales tax receipts in one southwest Mississippi town skyrocketed for the year, which officials say is largely due to the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale oil play.
However, other area cities are reporting much more modest growth — if any at all.
The small hamlet of Crosby, a town with a population of 306 located on the Amite-Wilkinson county line on Highway 33, saw a 192 percent increase in revenue over the fiscal year, which ended in June.
Revenues collected by the town from July 1, 2013, through this past June were 33,432, compared to $11,435 a year ago.
Crosby is on the northern edge of the TMS play.
Town Clerk Kenneth Shell said he has noticed only one thing that could account for the surge — oil.
“It’s all about the oil. In the last three or four months, we’ve seen a huge increase in workers here spending money.”
The nearby towns of Gloster and Liberty, closer to the oil activity, showed gradual yet less pronounced increases.
Gloster registered steady increases month to month. In January, sales tax receipts came to $5,473. By July, that number was $13,062.
That’s a monthly average increase of $1,858 for the town of just under 1,000 residents.
For the fiscal year, Gloster’s revenues were $149,181, compared to $135,697 a year ago, marking a 10 percent increase in sales tax revenues.
In Liberty, town officials are hoping to see more oil company workers begin to bring their wallets with them and spend company and personal money at local dollar stores, gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants.
Ward’s Restaurant has nearly doubled in size on the main drag to accommodate an overflowing stream of diners.
Other ancillary businesses have popped up in the last year, including a supply house on Highway 24 near Industrial Park Road that provides high-pressure pipes for the oil industry.
The construction of a Family Dollar in addition to a Dollar General already in town is credited as one reason for sales revenue increases.
Liberty officials say the numbers will continue to increase as the months go on.
Liberty’s receipts rose by nearly $6,000 for the fiscal year, meaning the overall gain was marginal, accounting for just 3 percent.
While remaining steady most of the year, April through June saw a consecutive increase in earnings. For July receipts, Liberty fell slightly behind last year’s monthly total, with the town taking in $19,292, compared to $19,444 in July 2013.
“I hope to continue growth as we go,” said Liberty Mayor Ricky Stratton. “We usually average $18,000 to $22,000 in sales receipts a month. That ... has increased to about $24,000 some months. So, we are seeing a little difference. We hope it keeps up.”
Average monthly receipts for Liberty for the fiscal year were $19,742.
Centreville’s earnings also increased 3 percent, with the town receiving $228,199 throughout the fiscal year, compared to $221,263 a year ago.
Meanwhile, McComb saw a 2 percent increase in sales receipts over the year.
Yearly totals were $5,483,682 in fiscal 2014 and $5,402,071 in fiscal 2013.
The city received $481,242 in June, compared to $485,319 the year before.
McComb’s sales tax revenues increased in the first half of the fiscal year, from June to December 2013. But all of the months in 2014, excluding April, saw lower sales tax revenues compared to the year before.
The city has continued on a three-month decline, reflecting revenue losses six out of seven consecutive months.
In May, the city fell behind by $31,014. In June and July, the city fell behind last year by just over $4,000 each month.
The picture is much worse in Magnolia, which saw a 9 percent decrease in sales tax revenues compared to the previous fiscal year. In fiscal year 2014, the city received $387,505, compared to $425,140 the year before.
Brookhaven, which recently passed a 2 percent hotel/motel tax, saw a monthly increase of close to $40,000 in June. The city received $496,235, compared to $458,322 the year before.
Fiscal 2014 yearly totals were up 5 percent at $5,482,569, compared to $5,204,118 the previous fiscal year.
Revenue in Summit grew 3 percent on the year, with the town taking in $396,961 for all of fiscal 2014, compared to $383,878 in 2013.
In June, sales tax revenues were $41,683, marking a 6 percent increase from the year before.
In Tylertown, June sales tax receipts were $59,045 for a 4 percent increase. However, the yearly total of $646,592 reflects a 1 percent decrease.
