WATERTOWN — Local government sales tax collections dipped slightly in Lewis and St. Lawrence counties in February compared to the same month a year ago, while Jefferson County’s receipts remained flat.
According to data released Thursday by the state comptroller’s office, Lewis County’s receipts dropped 3.7% in February from February 2023, going from $1.15 million last year to $1.11 million this year, a $40,000 difference. St. Lawrence County’s revenue lowered by 1.7%, or $100,000, from $5.79 million in February 2023 to $5.69 million this February. Jefferson County’s receipts remained unchanged year-over-year at $6.85 million.
For the first quarter of 2023, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties’ receipts are also down by 4.5% and 2.9%, respectively. For Lewis County, this translates to a $120,000 decline, from $2.46 million in 2023 to $2.34 million so far this year. In St. Lawrence County, receipts went from $12.24 million a year to $11.88 million in 2024, a $360,000 decline. Jefferson County’s receipts remained nearly the same compared to last year’s $14.55 million at $14.75 million.
The city of Ogdensburg’s receipts in February dropped 10.7% in February compared to February 2023, from a $170,000 a year ago to $160,000 this past month, a $10,000 decrease. For the year, the city is down about $40,000, or 12.1%, in receipts, taking in $380,000 in the first three months of 2023 versus the $340,000 realized in that period this year.
Oswego County’s receipts in February were off 2.1% compared to February 2023, from $4.33 million a year ago to $4.24 million this year, a difference of $90,000. For the year, collections are down slightly — about $30,000 — from the $9.08 million last year to $9.05 million so far this year.
The city of Oswego realized a slight — 2.5% — increase in collections in February, from $1.32 million in February 2023 to $1.35 million this year, a $30,000 increase. To date in 2024, receipts are up 5.1%, or $140,000, from $2.76 million in 2023 to $2.9 million this year.
Statewide, nearly two-thirds of counties — 37 of 57 — experienced decreases in year-over-year collections in February. New York City’s collections totaled $759 million, an increase of 5.7%, or $40.7 million, from a year earlier, but county and city collections in the rest of the state decreased by 2.2%, totaling $805 million.
“February’s local sales tax collections grew at a modest pace, year over year, after coming in nearly flat in January,” Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said in a statement. “But this was largely driven by New York City, with nearly all regions outside the city experiencing year-over-year declines for the month. It is imperative that local government officials take these results into consideration as they make budgetary decisions.”
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