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Tumwater finance director: sales tax volatile but city near full‑year targets; public‑safety tax exceeds budget
Summary
Finance Director Troy Niemeyer reported that Tumwater's sales‑tax receipts have been volatile this year but recent months pushed collections close to budgeted totals; public‑safety sales tax is above budget, building permits are high and the general fund is underspent on the expenditure side.
Finance Director Troy Niemeyer delivered the quarterly budget update at the Dec. 2 Tumwater City Council meeting, describing a year of revenue volatility with some strong months and overall near‑budget performance.
"We're 85, almost 86 collected," Niemeyer said of year‑to‑date sales‑tax collections, noting that August produced the single highest sales‑tax month in three years but that the account sits roughly 5.7% behind the adopted budget on a budget‑to‑actual basis. He said public‑safety sales tax is above its $940,000 budget and that building‑permit revenue and lodging tax (LTAC) are performing well.
On the expenditure side, Niemeyer said departments are underspent overall (roughly 76% spent with 91% of the year elapsed) and forecast that accruals and a January payroll posting may close part of that gap. He advised caution against end‑of‑year rush spending and said the city can carry some biennial funding forward.
Niemeyer reviewed economic risks including slowly rising unemployment and modestly higher inflation, noting delays in some federal economic data. He also summarized business‑type funds and capital projects, singling out golf and building permits as outperforming expectations.
Council members asked procedural questions about year‑end spending and how the city monitors local economic impacts. Niemeyer said staff are coordinating with economic‑development partners to track sector changes and to consider targeted outreach to businesses if warranted.
