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CHARLOTTE – Officials reported that the state’s sales tax numbers are better than expected, and Mecklenburg leaders said they are hoping their portion of that money will help the county’s budget deficit.

The state collected more than $243 million in December, which is about $2 million more than December of 2007. From that, Mecklenburg County will received $18.6 million, which is up about $6 million from each of the previous two months.

County Director of Finance Dena Diorio said she hopes the extra money will help make up for a budget shortfall that started out at $57 million.

“The fact that we see things picking up is an indication that perhaps we don’t have to reduce spending anymore this fiscal year,” she said.

But the revenue came in during the holiday, which is a time when people are spending more. And that’s why Diorio said the county is waiting to see January’s numbers.

“That’ll be a good barometer for us of where we think the rest of the year will be,” she said.