Manteca bucks trend again as taxable sales continue to gain

Manteca taxable sales grew 0.8 percent in the last four quarters.

That meant the city ended up with $62,059 more in sales tax receipts compared to the same time period in 2009-10 based on state Board of Equalization figures.

It may seem minuscule but compared to other jurisdictions within San Joaquin County – as well as practically everywhere else in California – it was downright herculean.

Consider what was going on with commerce in Manteca’s neighboring cities during that time: Tracy taxable sales down 10.1 percent, Lodi down 11.3 percent, Stockton down 12.8 percent, Escalon down 15.0 percent, Lathrop down 20.5 per cent, and Escalon down 30.0 percent.

California’s taxable sales were off 11.0 percent.

Manteca ended the four quarters with $7,723,216 in sales tax.

“We’re still humming along,” City Manager Steve Pinkerton said.

Manteca has been the county leader in municipal sales tax performance for the past five quarters. The only other jurisdiction the Northern San Joaquin Valley that has had major growth in sales tax in any of those quarters was Riverbank.

Pinkerton noted the numbers included year-to-year numbers for Bass Pro Shops and Costco, two entities that account for roughly 5 percent of all of Manteca’s sales tax receipts.

The gain, though, is tempered by the fact sales tax sharing agreements to land Bass Pro and Costco for Manteca have to be paid. But even so Manteca’s municipal sales tax gains would be 5 percent better than the nearest jurisdiction which was Tracy that suffered a 10.1 percent drop in sales tax. Without Bass Pro Shops and Costco, Manteca also would have had a sales tax drop between 10 and 11 percent or roughly $770,000 in lost revenue in real number by about $385,000 once sales tax deals are squared. That means those two deals saved the equivalent of the full year’s pay of three police officers for an entire year.

As an added bonus, the two stores by simply being in Manteca swelled Measure M tax receipts by close to $400,000 to protect against any additional erosion of supplemental public safety spending generated by the half cent sales tax.

Pinkerton noted Manteca retailers benefit from additional consumer spending powered by the fact the city grew by 1,000 residents thanks to 304 new home sales in 2009. At the same time Tracy added a half dozen new homes and Stockton 120 new homes.

By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor
dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com