County ups budget without taxation

Joe Pyrah - DAILY HERALD | Posted: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 11:00 pm

While Utah County commissioners patted themselves on the back for passing a new budget without a tax increase (and even complained about it being too high), Sheriff Jim Tracy sighed in frustration.

"There are things we would like and then there are things we must have. I think that we are pressing past the point where there are adequate funds to do things," Tracy told commissioners Tuesday as they prepared to finalize the $85.8 million budget.

Things have become so tight that it's not the big things Tracy's worried about that will strain his budget.

"We're looking at the minor things: If detectives have three homicides instead of one during the year," he said.

The county has not had a tax increase in 11 years, and even as property values have skyrocketed, the commission has dropped its tax rate to compensate. The commission instead has been relying on head-spinning population growth to fund increases in the budget from year to year. The 2008 budget is about $8 million more than the 2007 budget. The sheriff's 2008 general fund budget is $35.22 million, compared to $32 million in 2007.

But growth can only compensate for the number of people coming in, not for such things as inflation and additional services the population may demand, said Tracy, who has been in the sheriff's office for 30 years. Going more than a decade without an increase in funds -- referring to a county tax increase -- is "unimaginable."

"You can't do it for free," Tracy said later.

Commissioners disagree. Steve White voted against the budget based on the fact that he wanted it closer to $82 million.

"The sheriff's right, we have a difference of opinion between what's necessary and what's not necessary," White said. "I just don't think we cut enough."

Commissioners did make at least $200,000 in last-minute cuts to Tracy's budget without consulting him, including training and operations costs for the sex crimes task force. While commissioners can legally do it, the sheriff said his staff prioritizes the budget based on public safety.

"We had already, I thought, come to a bottom line," he said. "My heartburn and my concern is that ... rather than asking us to cut a certain amount of money, they go in and cut things they don't like."

While commissioners are holding the line on no tax increases, there are signs that the county is straining to make its budget:

•In the past, the county has typically been very conservative with its revenue estimates. This year, the county used the maximum possible projections in its budgeting. "We aren't conservative anymore," said county finance officer Danene Jackson.

• The county's reserve funds have all been drawn down about as far as they can go. By law, the county has to keep a certain amount -- $4.3 million in 2008 -- as a safety net. "It's breaking into their comfort zone," said Bryan Thompson, county clerk/auditor.

• While salaries have been given a bump, it's well known that Utah County has some of the lowest pay in the state. Before the budget portion of the meeting, County Attorney Jeff Buhman had a back-and-forth with Commissioner Larry Ellertson about the need to create a new position in his office. The position would cost more, but would also create a supervisory position in the career ladder. Buhman said the lack of such a position and the salary that comes with it has cost his office several attorneys who have moved on to work in Salt Lake Valley. "We don't want to lose our best people to other places," Buhman said. Ellertson views the move as an unnecessary addition to bureaucracy. The commission agreed to the description of the new position, but put the staffing plan on hold for two weeks.

The county is funding a salary study in March, to be implemented in July, that would bring some of the salaries closer to other counties. Money has been included in the budget for that purpose.