For the second month in a row, sales tax diversions for the city of Brookhaven increased again.

Brookhaven’s diversion reached $487,248.47 for December, an increase of nearly $27,000 over that of November.

“We are blessed to continue to have a vibrant economy as we see so many other cities struggling to make monthly expenses,” Mayor Joe Cox said.

December’s amount is almost exactly $43,000 over December 2015.

City Clerk Mike Jinks noted recently that the holiday shopping season would likely generate extra sales across the area, which would in turn lead to higher sales tax diversions over the close of the year.

Gross sales in Brookhaven were $85,617,108 for December, up from November’s $82,772,926. Lincoln County’s gross sales were $101,759,146, up from $100,090,066 of the previous month.

Sales tax has a three-month cycle. Month one is when the tax is collected by the retailer; month two is when the tax is reported and paid to the Department of Revenue by the retailer; and in month three, the sales tax diversion is paid by the MDOR to the cities.

This means the amount labeled as “December” shows the tax collected in the previous month of November, for which the city receives a check in January.