Town manager outlines 2028 sales-tax strategy as council backs balanced-budget goal for FY29

Town Manager Tyler Sinclair told the Tunnel Town Council workshop that recurring expenses have outpaced recurring revenues and warned the town’s general fund reserve could fall below the 25% floor within two to four years unless the council acts. "This is our opportunity to reenvision how we will address that going forward," Sinclair said, asking the council to consider short-term steps to balance revenues and expenses and longer-term measures to align recurring revenue and expense growth.

Sinclair framed three possible FY29 goals — (A) status quo, (B) balance the annual budget, and (C) an aggressive plan to balance both the annual budget and growth — and recommended Goal B as the most practical near-term objective. After a nonbinding straw poll, Sinclair reported that "everyone's number 1…