Antiques Shows Not the Sales Tax Boon They May Seem

The antiques shows bring thousands of vendors and shoppers to northern Fayette County twice each year. Some massive amounts of money change hands in the shops and fields of the Warrenton and Round Top areas.

But you wouldn’t know it by looking at the county’s sales tax receipts, according to the County Auditor.

The topic came up at last Thursday’s Fayette County Commissioners Court meeting. Pct. 4 Commissioner raised the question during a point in the meeting when the court was reviewing quarterly sales tax collections.

“Do we really see a jump in sales when all the antique stuff is going on?” Brossmann asked.

“It’s pretty much steady across the board,” said County Auditor Cindy Havelka.

Havelka said she has compared county sales tax revenue from the months when the antiques shows take place to the rest of the year.

“There’s not much fluctuation at all,” Havelka said.

Havelka said she has tried contacting the State Comptroller’s Office to find out where those sales tax receipts are going, if they’re even being collected at all.

“I’ve never had any luck with it,” Havelka said.

“Every time we have gone down this road, we always come back to where we start,” said County Judge Dan Mueller. Pct. 2 Commissioner Clint Sternadel, whose territory covers that part of the County, speculated that most of the vendors have their businesses registered elsewhere. Sales tax receipts collected here might be going to those jurisdictions.

“And cash transactions there’s not a lot we can get out of it, but the problems,” Sternadel said.

Every antiques show brings an increase in calls for first responders, whether they be for medical emergencies, vehicle crashes, traffic and parking issues, and even the occasional crime.

“We make more on the Real Deal,” joked Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff, referring to the trail ride in Nechanitz a few weeks ago that placed a huge burden on law enforcement and EMS.

The comment elicited a laugh from the audience. But it was an apt comparison in some regards. The trail ride organizers paid thousands of dollars to Sheriff’s Office personnel for security and the EMS for working the event. The County also required the organizers to obtain a mass gathering permit ahead of time, which included an $800 fee paid to the County.

But due to the unorganized and spontaneous nature of the antiques shows, there are no organizers who can be required to obtain a mass gathering permit or compensate the county for emergency services.

A bump in sales tax receipts might alleviate the burden placed on the County during the antiques shows. On the other hand, the County reaps most of its revenue from property taxes. And few places in Fayette County can compare to the incredible growth in value over the last few years in Round Top and Warrenton.