Longview Officials Upbeat despite Drop in Sales Tax Revenue

LONGVIEW — Longview’s sales tax revenues are down. KETK reports the city collected about five percent fewer dollars in tax revenue this past January than in January 2013. CIty staffers contend numbers fluctuate from month to month and business is still doing great in Longview. According to officials, the city is right on budget and that’s really what’s important. They say the city’s actually doing better than hoped. Officials say they were expecting to be essentially flat, with just a very small increase — and so far this year, Longview’s up 3.29 percent. Staffers admit that doesn’t sound like much, but they call it a big impact on the economy, which they say continues to move in a positive direction. Across the state, sales tax numbers saw an increase for the 47th straight month.