Sales tax receipts collected in Ketchum during the 2006-2007 fiscal year show a dip from the previous year, but it's still the second largest year-end collection since 2001.
For local option tax collections from October 2006 through September 2007, the city collected $2.1 million, only about $100,000 less than the previous year's $2.2 million. However, because there is a one-month lag in collections, figures labeled September actually represent August.
Therefore, the cancellation of the Wagon Days events over Labor Day weekend, which fell in September, is not yet represented in LOT figures.
September collections, which represent August spending, are down roughly $24,000 from last year and came in at $207,920. In fact, the figures represent the lowest August spending since 2002.
But considering the Castle Rock Fire essentially shut the town down the last two weeks of August, "that's not too bad," said Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Carol Waller.
"It's not that our LOT is plummeting," Waller said. "As an economic indicator it's not growing double digits, but it's not falling double digits. The real hit is going to be the next month or two. Since Wagon Days fell in September, we're going to be able to see what the real economic impact was for that weekend."
September and October spending, which will be represented in Ketchum's October and November LOT receipts, will tell much more of the story.
"And on the bright side," Waller said, "we've had a number of very big event weekends with the Kick Ash Bash and, of course, the Trailing of the Sheep and Dixie Jazz coming up."
Ketchum collects a 1- percent sales tax on retail items and 2 percent on hotel rooms and liquor-by-the-drink. The tax has been in effect since 1978. Grocery, vehicle and medicine sales are exempt.
