The year’s to-date sales tax revenue is promising for those hoping for a turnaround in the Jacksonville-area economy. 

Treasurer Ron Smiljanich says the city’s receipts are up compared to this time last year, excluding the yet-to-be-compiled July figures.

"We're actually ahead about $8,000 in sales tax, which is really quite surprising almost," says Smiljanich. "It might seem like a small amount, but in an economy that is doing as poorly as it is right now, we're doing what we expected to do and just a little better."

Those numbers were helped by a 6.5 percent spike in May’s sales tax revenue and a three percent jump in June. Smiljanich says, for the most part, that the 2010 sales tax receipts have shown a steady increase when compared to the 2009 figures.

"Everything you read and hear says people aren't spending, but this goes contrary to that," says Smiljanich. "Another thing I might point out, is that maybe people are staying closer to home and shopping right now."

Smiljanich expects the trend to continue through the end of the year. He says it’s likely that the city will finish out near a normal tax revenue level.

The state owes the city more than $700,000 in income tax receipts. However, Smiljanich says that sinkhole hasn’t stopped the city’s economy from carrying the financial load in the current fiscal year.