I commend the Town Council for being fiscally conservative and making cuts to the budget. However, I also encourage the Council to study strategic plans that have been done and have a study session on the long-term investments/capital improvements which will allow our community to thrive by increasing investment/revenues for the future.

The downtown connectivity to our Fountain Park should be a priority. A vibrant downtown will encourage additional business investment, adding revenues our town needs to increase infrastructure investment in perpetuity moving forward. Just cutting expenses won’t solve the long-term revenue issues. Investments such as an underground tunnel connecting the main entrance of our downtown to the park and working with Park Place developers adding the additional phases is an investment worth making for the long-term success and safety of our community. Support the Dark Sky project as well which will support tourism revenues for all.

The heartbeat of the community is the downtown and all other areas of the community (business vitality, housing, schools) will benefit by the beautification of the downtown. Our downtown streets were a priority for me while on Council. The main arteries into our community are also a priority, followed by the interior streets.

Creating future revenues by adding additional rental taxes and sales taxes (major projects and contributors to our budget I supported include Adero Resort, Havenly rentals, auto sale with high sales tax). It takes years from the approvals to see the results. The apartments downtown will add further rental tax revenue and will create a vibrant downtown. Prioritize ROI now and get ahead of the curve. Target Plaza improvements need to be on the list to support.

In the 2026/2028 budget these developments should add significant resources so we can step up needed road infrastructure spending.