Consumer spending in Hall County took a dip in October compared to previous months.

At least that's what the numbers show from revenues collected through SPLOST VI, the 1 percent county sales tax for capital funding projects.

Countywide collections were just shy of $2 million for October, compared to roughly $2.3 million each month from June to September.

Tim Sims, financial services manager for Hall County, said he was a little surprised at the numbers, given that economic projections were for an upward trend.

"We were not happy it was down," he said.

However, he said there was no real concern that just one month of lower collections spelled trouble for the projects that SPLOST is slated to fund - including road improvements, water and sewer projects and parks construction.

"You have your down months and your up months," Sims said, adding that the county is still on track to meet its projected revenue for the current fiscal year.

Melody Marlowe, Gainesville's Administrative Services director, said she was actually pleased with numbers she saw. Gainesville is currently using its share of funds to pay for debt on its Public Safety Facility.

Marlowe said October is usually a lower month for collecting the tax, and this October was an improvement over those in 2010.

"That's just typical," she said. "It dips usually in October, then picks up in the holiday season."

In 2010, October revenues were $1.9 million, while December's were nearly $2.4 million.

Record-breaking Black Friday sales this year, Sims noted, could be a good indicator that the spike in holiday sales tax revenues will continue.