OXFORD, Miss. — While many cities have seen their tax revenues shrink as a result of the pandemic.

It’s been a different story in Oxford, Mississippi. Tax revenues hit a record high after COVID restrictions were lifted.

“We are are thrilled to see that Oxford is coming back stronger than ever before,” said Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

Tannehill says Oxford’s economy is surging back in a variety of areas and sites tax revenue numbers from March and April as the reason to be excited.

“In March we set a record of being over a million dollars for the first time in our sales tax revenues…and for April we were at a million and 89 thousand, and so two record months, back to back.” said Tannehill.

Tannehill says sales tax numbers reflect the tax revenues collected two months prior and show more people anxious to get back to normal after COVID-19 restrictions were gradually lifted.

“We attribute it to people being excited to get out again to go to restaurants to enjoy music outside and to get to gather with their family and friends again,” said Tannehill.

Tannehill says the ability to attend sporting events like SEC baseball was a key contributor to bringing more people and tax dollars back to Oxford, pushing food and beverage taxes and motel and hotel taxes to positive numbers for April.

Lane Wilson, GM at Neilson’s department store on the Square, says record sale tax revenues prove people are glad to see Oxford is opened for business again.

“Oxford has become almost a mini resort town or a weekend getaway town, a wedding venue. So not only Neilson’s but all the businesses on the Square reap the benefits of people who for primarily the reason of the coronavirus had to stay away for a year,” said Wilson.

Mayor Tannehill who will be sworn in Thursday for her second term also pointed out strong numbers in sales of homes and condos during April and says she plans to now address projects that were put on hold during the pandemic