Churchill County reports 11.7% loss in taxable sales

Statewide taxable sales grew 5.3 percent in December compared to the same month of 2014 to a total of $5.12 billion.

Churchill County, meanwhile, suffered an 11.7 percent decrease to $30.3 million in December despite a nearly ten-fold increase in Utilities to $2.28 million and a similar rise in building construction to $1.25 million.

Those increases were wiped out by a 79 percent decrease in Administrative and Support Services, a 64 percent dip in the Repair and Maintenance category, 28 percent lower sales by Clothing and Accessories stores and 27 percent less by Food and Beverage stores.

Comptroller Alan Kalt said the report shows specific categories affected by tax rebates. For example, the high number in Utilities is a result of the Ormat Tungsten project. The number will be adjusted at a later date. Likewise, Durable Goods is double of the figure in 2014 and does not show any adjustment for energy tax rebates.

Kalt said Building Materials showed a 7.6 percent increase, but Motor Vehicles and Parts Dealers fell 9.4 percent to $2.9 million. General Merchandise Stores were up almost 2 percent, Food Services and Drinking Places had a push, earning only $10,000 more in December 2015 than in 2014.

The picture was even better in Carson City — a 9.7 percent gain driven by a 24.5 percent increase in auto sales. That category, the capital’s largest taxable sales generator, reported $21.16 million sales out of the capital’s $86.6 million in total sales.

Statewide, the increase was the result of a 196 percent increase in the Utilities category, 7 percent more for Food Services and Drinking Places and a 46.6 percent increase in accommodations.

But those gains were offset by decreases in total sales in several of Nevada’s mining counties. Esmeralda was down 33.3 percent, Humboldt by 20 percent, Eureka by 10 percent, Lander by 18.6 percent and White Pine by 31 percent.

Douglas County had a 2.8 percent increase in sales to $67.7 million. Decreases in auto sales, furniture and furnishings and a dozen other medium sized tax generators were offset by a 27 percent gain in the Food Services and Drinking Places category — Douglas’s largest at $13.5 million. Douglas also saw a substantial increase in building materials sales — 41.5 percent to $3.3 million.

Clark reported $3.8 billion in taxable sales for a 5.5 percent increase and Washoe $736.2 million for a 9 percent gain.

Storey County, where the economy ties closely to what happens at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, was off 30 percent in December.