El Campo and neighboring towns Wharton and East Bernard are urging residents to shop locally as sales tax rebates have recently dropped, impacting local budgets. El Campo saw a 2.75% decline in October’s rebates, while Wharton and East Bernard faced larger drops of 10.23% and 4.12%, respectively. City officials emphasize that local shopping is crucial to stabilize the economy and support municipal services. Despite this setback, all cities are still outperforming budget expectations for the year, with El Campo’s rebates up by 6.04% overall.