SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Encouraged by stronger-than-expected holiday sales, Eastern Shore leaders are beginning to utter, softly, two elusive little words guaranteed to make business-minded hearts skip a beat: economic recovery.

“Preliminary numbers at this moment in time look like we’re about 7 to 8 percent ahead of last year, but the key word there is preliminary,” Spanish Fort Mayor Joe Bonner said of unaudited sales-tax revenue for the first two months of fiscal 2011.

The city closed 2010 with nearly $300,000 more collected from its three business districts — the Eastern Shore Centre, Spanish Fort Town Center and all remaining merchants — than the $3.5 million budgeted. Bonner said the same conservative projection was carried over into 2011, and what he’s seen of December tallies indicates the strategy remains sound.

The city of Daphne, meanwhile, has collected $241,000 more in sales and use tax revenue than budgeted for 2011 to date. If the trend continues, Daphne City Councilman Ron Scott said the city could conceivably exceed 2011 expectations by close to $1 million.

See the full story on Page 1A in the Feb. 18 edition of The Bulletin.