By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Sales tax revenue for Piedmont is up and has remained on the uptick for the last three months, an Oklahoma Tax Commission report shows.
While April’s collections remained almost unchanged, revenue from January to March hovered at nearly $50,000 higher per month compared to the previous year.
Orr believes that won’t change any time soon because most of the growth that comes from oil and gas development.
“We’ve talked to the Oklahoma Tax Commission and that’s what they attribute it to,” Orr said. “That’s good news for us because it allows us to put that money back into infrastructure.”
January sales tax collections were up from $164,802 to $203,705 for the same period last year. February collections improved from $154,610 to $194,059. March jumped from $144,462 to $188,234 for the same period last year. April dipped slightly from $212,185 in April 2018 to $209,031 for the same reporting month this year.
ROADS
While the city budget for the next fiscal year will not be approved until the May city council meeting, Orr said they have placed carryover funds and projected for more money to be put into the road fund and water infrastructure.
“We’ve allocated an extra $600,000 because we’ve had a good sales tax year,” Orr said. “I have $200,000 set aside for water improvement projects.”
Orr said most of the $600,000 will likely go to repair Piedmont. The main thoroughfare into town has been hammered with heavy truck traffic and bad weather.
It is possible the city could partner with Canadian County Commissioner Marc Hader on that project.
“We want to make sure we’re using high quality materials so it will last 20 years plus,” Orr said. “It depends on the price of asphalt, other materials and if Canadian County works with us. Marc Hader has done a great job of assisting the City of Piedmont the past couple of years. I think he has the same vision we do, that is to construct high quality roads to last a long time.”
Waterloo Road was one project in which the county offered to help with materials to complete the one-mile stretch west of Piedmont Road. The county repaired five miles of Waterloo.
BUSINESSES LEAVING TOWN
Although Piedmont’s sales tax revenue is up, businesses are still leaving town. Three businesses have closed and two others have opened shop.
Los Sabinos Mexican Restaurant closed last week in addition to Piedmont Animal Health and HPC Physical Therapy which closed in March. However, new businesses A Latte Love coffee shop and Therapeutic Solutions, a massage therapy clinic, opened in March. Last year three new business cropped up in the downtown area after a developer purchased a strip of stores on Monroe Avenue.
Piedmont Chamber of Commerce Director Jennifer Ochoa is not discouraged.
Ochoa said people are taking the buy local initiative, Shop 373, seriously.
“I think that the economic growth right now is amazing,” Ochoa said. “I think it’s wonderful to see so many people shopping local and supporting our local businesses. I really appreciate the initiative of the community to support their local businesses.”
Ochoa said local businesses are doing a better job of self-promotion and partnering with other businesses to drive traffic and interest to town. Piedmont boutiques partnered with Yukon boutiques to host a shopping event in March.
“It was a great event, Piedmont and Yukon businesses supporting each other. The more we can support and promote each other, the more we all have to gain from that,” she said.
