Orange County sees big drop in monthly sales taxes

Sales taxes for the largest entities were down for the month of February, but Bridge City, Vidor, and Pinehurst had increases.

Orange County, which has a 0.5 percent sales tax, collected $482,265 for the month, a drop of nearly $103,000, or a decrease of 17.56 percent from February 2023. The county is slightly down for sales tax collections for the year to date, collecting $2.46 million for the first four months of the year, a drop of about $30,000, or a decrease of 1.45 percent.

All the cities in the county have a 1.5 percent sales tax, along with the Orange County Emergency Services District 3, which is for the Little Cypress Fire and Rescue Department. It is the only special district with a sales tax, though OC Emergency Services District 1, which covers the city of Vidor and the surrounding areas, has a sales tax proposition on the May 4 ballot.

Orange, the largest and oldest city in the county, was down a whopping 42.4 percent for February sales, and down 25.19 percent for the year to date. The city collected $418,920 for February, down from $727,300 in February 2023. For the first four months of the year, the city has collected $2.09 million, down from $2.8 million, nearly $700,000, from last year.

Bridge City was up 6.87 percent for February with $169,400 for the month, up from $158,500 for February last year. The city is down slightly for the year to date with $721,950, compared to $738,900 last year, a decrease of 2.29 percent.

Pinehurst was up for the month and year with $56,530 in February, up from $55,790 last year. For the year to date, the city is up 8.25 percent with $240,000, compared to $221,630 for the same time last year.

Vidor is also up, with $292,340 for February, an increase of 8.79 from $268,700 last February. The city is up 8.25 percent for the year to date with $1.22 million compared to $1.14 million last year.

West Orange was stagnant for February with $111,900, compared to $112,325 last year, only $425 less. The city is at $500,575 for the year to date, an increase of 2.8 percent from $486,900 last year.

Emergency Services District 3 collected $20,600 for the month and is now at $104,000 for the year to date, a decrease from $111,140 from the first few months of 2023.