By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

For the second consecutive month, general fund sales tax collection for the city of Hays was up.

Finance Director Kim Rupp called the December and November increases “a good rebound” at the end of 2014, which still had a negative sales tax trend.

“(As of Dec. 23, 2014), general fund sales tax collections were at $652,400 dollars, which is a nice increase of $98,803 dollars as compared to last year,” he told city commissioners at the last meeting of 2014. “This puts year-to-date general fund sales tax collections up $69,400 dollars or 1 percent.”

November 2014 sales tax collections were up 1.03 percent from November 2013. The only other month with an increase from a year ago was June at 0.18 percent.

City officials have said they are “unable to pinpoint any specific reason” for the negative sales tax trend in 2014.  The last time it occurred was in 2011 when the entire country was in the throes of a recession.

The local sales tax goes into the Hays general fund for city services including fire, police, parks, swimming pools and the golf course. It also provides funding to outside agencies including economic development, Downtown Hays Development Corp., United Way CARE Council and Fort Hays State University scholarships.