Tiny Towns’ Sales Add Up In Big Way
For the first time ever, Round Top has nudged Flatonia out of the third place spot among Fayette County towns for sales tax collections.
The final monthly payment for 2023 pushed Round Top to a total of $482,118 for the year. Flatonia, historically the third largest retail center for the county, ended with $465,733.
It’s not that Flatonia has gone down. Its 2023 total was up 7.7% from the prior year. But Round Top has surged all year long. Its revenue this year is more than double its annual revenue just three years ago.
Long known for its quirky vibe during the twice-yearly Round Top Antiques Fair, the town has an official population of 87 in the 2020 U.S. Census. But some say nearly 200,000 people descend on the area during the antiques weeks. Not only have new shops opened in Hinkle Square, but several permanent year-round sales venues have been built in recent years.
Round Top isn’t the only growing economy. Six of Fayette County’s seven towns ended the year with gains. Only Carmine dropped, and it by only a tenth of a percent.
Three of the towns are up by double digits. That’s true for only four of the 18 other area towns tracked by the Record.
La Grange ended the year with well over $2.5 million from the optional local sales tax. Its December check was for $215,313, bringing the total for the year to $2,663,848, up 8.2% from last year and by far the highest year ever.
Statewide, the rebate to Texas cities for 2023 was 4.7% more than last year. Every town in Fayette County was ahead of the statewide average except Carmine.
Fayetteville had by far the greatest percentage growth in the county.
With collections above $200,000 for the first time ever, Fayetteville’s total for the year was $204,009, up 59.7% from last year and the greatest growth of any of the 25 area towns tracked by the Record.
Schulenburg remained the second largest retail center for the county, earning $1,442,145 from sales taxes, up 13.2% from last year.
Flatonia’s $465,733 was up 7.7% from a year ago and Ellinger’s $66,562 was up 5.3%. Carmine received $145,591, down just one-tenth of a percent from 2022.
Counties are also allowed to levy the optional local sales tax, at a rate of one-half cent on the dollar. Fayette County received $3,264,716 for the year, up 6.9% from last year.
Bastrop continues to be the area’s biggest retail center. The city of Bastrop got $12.2 million for the year, up 7.7%, and Bastrop County got $8.3 million, up 6.0%.
Brenham and Washington County are second, but well behind Bastrop, which has experienced major suburban development this past year.
Current reported residential developments account for more than 1,000 additional homes in the town of Bastrop alone.
Bastrop currently has an estimated population of 11,811, but City Manager Sylvia Carrillo has said she expects the city’s population to reach 40,000 in the near future.