NATCHEZ — Sales tax collections for the City of Natchez were down slightly in November, following a mostly downward trend for collections this year.

Collections were $455,743 in November, down from $459,650 in November 2015.

Figures from the Mississippi Department of Revenue for November represent collections in October.

Overall collections are $5,003,607 so far this year, down nearly 3 percent from $5,154,867 at this point last year.

While overall collections are down, tourism sales tax collections increased in November and are up so far this year.

The city’s 1.5-percent restaurant tax and 3-percent lodging tax collections for November were $129,048, up from $124,259 in November 2015.

The city’s $2 “heads on beds” hotel and bed-and-breakfast tax was $40,978 in November, up from $39,729 in November 2015.

Restaurant and lodging tax collections so far this year are $1,243,080, up 5.32 percent from $1,180,333 collected through November last year.

“Heads on beds” tax collections this year are $373,693 so far, up 6.72 percent from $350,118 collected through November 2015.

City officials said last year they hoped the buzz surrounding the yearlong Natchez Tricentennial would have a positive impact on sales tax collections for the city.

Tricentennial Director Jennifer Ogden Combs said with one month of sales tax left to be reported, she is optimistic the city will finish the year with increased tourism tax collections.

“When we created the mission two years ago of what we wanted to accomplish with the tricentennial, we wanted to do two things,” she said. “We wanted to bring our community together and hopefully improve our city economically, from tourism taxes to more visitors and people become more engaged and participating in the community.

“Obviously we are delighted if the tricentennial was able to improve tourism taxes for the city.”