NEW CENTER PAYS OFF FOR CITY TREASURY EMPIRE SPENDING BOOSTS BURBANK RETAIL TAX REVENUE.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

BURBANK - Sales tax revenue jumped 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001, spurred mainly by spending at the new Burbank Empire Center, officials said Tuesday.

Burbank reported $5.3 million in sales tax revenue from October to December, or 4.6 percent more than in the comparable period of 2000. Glendale reported $6.7 million, about 1 percent more than in the previous year.

Los Angeles County's sales tax increased by 1.6 percent for the fourth quarter of 2000, while revenue decreased an average of 2 percent statewide.

Burbank officials attribute the growth to the Burbank Empire Center, touted as the city's biggest commercial venture. The center on the former Lockheed property features Target, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, Best Buy, other major chains and restaurants.

Derek Hanway, the city's financial-services director, said the Empire Center ``is one of the most significant reasons for the growth."

The Empire Center generated almost as much sales tax as the Media Center Mall, but total sales tax declined by 10 percent at the city's other stores, officials said. They said the decline resulted from the recession, as well as from shopping transfers to the Empire Center.

Countywide, Burbank is ranked 34th and Glendale 48th in terms of sales tax growth. Bell topped the chart with 23 percent growth.

Glendale's director of finance could not be reached Tuesday, but a similar report shows that the top sales tax revenue producers were mostly car dealerships along Brand Boulevard, including Allen Gwynn Chevrolet, Bob Smith Toyota, Calstar Mercedes and Colonial Honda.

The top producers in Burbank included electronic and appliance chains, such as Circuit City, CompUSA, Best Buy and Fry's Electronics.

Analysts report that California's overall numbers are improving, but the rate of recovery from the economic slowdown will vary from region to region.

``Some parts of Southern California, the Central Coast and the Sacramento region seem to have escaped the recession altogether,'' analysts jointly wrote in the reports released Tuesday.

``While consumer confidence has risen, business-to-business sales will remain weak until at least mid-year," the analysts' report said.

CAPTION(S):

chart

Chart:

BURBANK CITY SALES TAX REVENUES

Daily News