December sales tax collections continued to disappoint incomparison to last year, but Brookhaven officials said the city isdoing all right and should be in good shape at the end of itsfiscal year.

At $353,942.60, Brookhaven sales tax collections for the lastmonth of 2006 were down almost $50,000 from December 2005’s$402,804.03 and represented another month in which the current yeartotals failed to match those of 2005. December collectionsrepresent sales made in November.

“Every month this year, we’ve been a little disappointed wedidn’t reach what we budgeted,” said City Clerk Mike Jinks,referring to the city’s fiscal year that started Oct. 1.

Jinks said the city budgeted to take in $385,000 a month. Hesaid the city did not budget $400,000 a month, which was themonthly average during 2005.

“Last year was an unusual year,” said Jinks, citing theinfluence of spending in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

While down about $50,000 from December 2005, Jinks pointed outthe city was up some from the $344,392.38 it received in December2004.

“It’s hard to compare to last year, as much as we’d love to havethat much money,” Jinks said.

To date for the state fiscal year, which started July 1,Brookhaven’s total collections were down over $105,000 from 2005 to2006.

The city has $2,264,977.56 so far this year compared to$2,372.857.19 at the same point last year. In 2004 at this time,the city had collected $2,016,359.94.

Despite the drop, Jinks was hopeful for better results in themonths ahead and by the end of the city’s budget year inSeptember.

“Right now, I still think in September we’ll have made thebudget,” he said.