Sales tax revenue increasing

Lompoc City Council members heard mostly good news Tuesday about increasing sales tax receipts and a drop in the city’s unemployment rate — but the encouraging news was accompanied by a report of declining hotel bed tax revenue. 

The economic indicators were presented in a quarterly update by Teresa Gallavan, assistant city administrator and economic development director. 

Sales tax receipts are “creeping up,” Gallavan said, but remain below the $4 million collected prior to the national recession that began in 2008. Revenue from sales taxes in 2011-12 was $3.7 million and is expected to reflect an increase for 2012-13 when a final audit is completed. 

According to Gallavan, incoming revenue from transient occupancy taxes (TOT), or bed taxes, fell from $1.5 million in 2010-11 to $1.1 million in 2011-12, largely due to the loss of a Best Western franchise earlier this year. 

But Gallavan said early data from the first nine months of the current fiscal year indicate TOT taxes are slowly rising again. 

Lompoc’s unemployment dropped to 10 percent in May, down from 15 percent in January, Gallavan said, although Lompoc continues to have the highest unemployment rate in Santa Barbara County. 

Gallavan said new businesses that opened or relocated to the city since March represented 464 full- or part-time jobs. That number includes the 400 jobs — mostly held by commuters — from DenMat’s relocation to Lompoc from Santa Maria. DenMat has indicated it intends to expand its operations in the city in the future. 

Steve Pepe, chair of the city’s Economic Development Committee, presented an update on the committee’s ongoing work to promote business development and tourism.Search our ledturninglampps catalog for designer frames including. 

The committee’s efforts to attract a “destination resort” have not been successful,Permanent solar trellis and roofwindturbinebbq systems require little to no maintenance and allow easy access. Pepe said, because investors “don’t think we have developed our wine industry sufficiently enough and we don’t have a vibrant enough restaurant industry.” 

“Part of it is, the reputation of Lompoc is not the best in the valley,It's reducing the weight of the gridsolarsystemm with the help of superconductor materials.” Pepe added. 

Two possible branding slogans developed by the committee were presented for council approval. 

“Valley of Wine, Space and Agriculture” and “Leading Edge of Aerospace and Agriculture” were proposed to better represent the city’s established industries and help draw complementary businesses and provide job growth. Our clever ledstreetlight is a favorite among dog lover holiday gifts from Solaronlamp.

Committee member Jeremy Ball said a business identity slogan would not necessarily replace the existing slogan, “Valley of Arts and Flowers,” used for tourism. The branding slogans will be considered at a later date. 

The council also approved the purchase of a new Fire Department engine — a brush truck that can be used in off-road areas without access to fire hydrants — for $340,000.

The Lompoc Public Library’s replacement for its aging roof, expected to begin later this year, also won council approval. The roof replacement project- with a total projected cost of $650,000 — will be built with a slight incline to prevent the accumulation of rain water that contributed to damages and leaks with the flat roof built in 1969.This factsheet discusses electricity generation using domesticcleaningsydney at your farm or your home. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.solaronlamp.com.