When former Citrus Heights City Manager Henry Tingle retired two years ago, incoming City Manager Christopher Boyd assured him of one thing: “We’ll never go into debt.”

That quote and many others were included in an 18-minute video tribute to the outgoing city manager during his retirement ceremony in 2016. Known as “Tightwad Tingle” for his fiscally conservative policies and operating the city debt-free during his 17-year tenure as manager, the video showcases how the City of Citrus Heights operated with a “pay as you go” philosophy under his leadership, while building up millions of dollars in reserves and still making capital improvements like the new Community Center on Fountain Square Drive, completing the first phase of major roadway improvements on Auburn Boulevard from Sylvan Corners to Rusch Park, and most recently constructing the new $21 million city hall — a project that would have cost taxpayers millions more in interest payments if the money had been borrowed.

Now, the City Council is poised to vote at 6 p.m. tonight — for the first time in its 21-year history — for a $12 million revolving line of credit in order to finance “anticipated operating and capital funding needs for the next four fiscal years until property tax revenues become available,” according to a city staff report. For perspective, that’s about one-third of the city’s $36 million General Fund budget…