The City of Brentwood bucked a countywide trend in the fourth quarter of last year, managing to post a 2-percent gain in sales tax revenue over the same period in 2007.

Data recently released for the period covering October to December, 2008 showed that Brentwood was one of only two cities in Contra Costa County to post gains in sales tax. Topping the field of 19 cities was Orinda, which managed 8.5-percent growth.

“This is even more impressive considering the ongoing severity of the recession,” Brentwood Business Services Manager Kerry Breen said in a press release. “The state’s sales tax revenue was down (13 percent), the nine-county Bay Area was down (12 percent), Contra Costa County was down (14 percent), and neighboring cities of Antioch (18 percent), Pittsburg (19 percent) and Oakley (20 percent) were also down.

According to Breen, the primary factor contributing to Brentwood’s strong sales data was the opening of the Streets of Brentwood Lifestyle Center. The center opened on Oct. 24, and despite missing nearly a month from the October-through-December quarter, contributed enough to make up for lost sales tax revenues in other areas. Without the Streets project, Brentwood’s sales tax revenue would have declined 10 percent.

“It indeed was encouraging to receive a positive in our sales tax revenue,” said Mayor Bob Taylor. “The Streets of Brentwood are proving to be an asset to the community and the residents are shopping and buying locally. It is quite a message for our community: build it and they will come.”