SELMA — Mayor George Evans wants people to shop more in Selma.

When people shop in Selma, it helps the economy, he said.

Evans released recently sales tax collections compared to last year. So far, the city is $215,925 behind collections last year.

“When revenue goes down, expenditures have to be tightened,” Evans said.

In May 2010 the city collected $828,910.88 in sales tax, compared to $941,358.56 in 2009 or $112,447.58 less.

Since October, only one month — April — has shown an increase over 2009. In April the city collected $944,851.97 in sales tax, compared to $941,358.56 in 2009 or $81,329.20 more.

Cynthia Mitchell, the city’s treasurer, said she would contact Alatax, which collects taxes from businesses and pays the city, about the amount of taxes being collected.

“The city has 3,000 to 4,000 businesses and Alatax has the ability to give a better accounting,” she said.

Council member Bennie Ruth Crenshaw of Ward 7 said she didn’t want to talk figures. She believes the city is suffering.

“It’s the lowest it’s ever been to me,” she said, adding she believes the people in Selma need their confidence returned.

Evans and the Selma City Council will begin to work on the city’s budget for fiscal 2011 next month. Fiscal 2011 begins Oct. 1