Davis avoids property tax hike for '08

FARMINGTON — The Davis County Board of Commissioners will consider the county's proposed $90.8 million operating budget for 2008 on Tuesday. It's a slightly larger budget than 2007's but does not include a property-tax increase.

That's a relief to the committee in charge of the county's budget.

"We are not in any frame of mind to even consider a tax increase," said Davis County Clerk/Auditor Steve Rawlings. "We, in fact, would look at other ways of producing revenues."

Davis County's budget committee wrapped up its meetings Wednesday with county department heads and, during the past month, slashed $12 million from their funding requests for 2008.

Though some departments asked for a 25 percent increase in their budgets, Rawlings said, each department received a 3 percent to 5 percent increase in operating expenses for 2008.

Commissioners don't believe those department heads were insincere in their requests.

"Everybody's list isn't going to be funded to the fullest," said Commissioner Bret Millburn.

When Millburn and Commissioner Louenda Downs were campaigning for office in 2006 they promised to pay special attention to the 2008 budget and fund necessities.

Millburn said he's confident that's exactly what the county's budget committee, consisting of Millburn, Downs, Commissioner Alan Hansen, Rawlings, chief deputy auditors Jonathan Lee and Carl Allen, personnel director Mel Miles and information services director Mark Langston, managed to accomplish.

"The goal is to live within your means," Millburn said. "It looks like we're on track to be able to do that this go-around."

In 2006, commissioners authorized a 37 percent property-tax increase on the average home in Davis County, about $60 on a $171,000 home at the time, for the 2007 budget.

The tax increase brings $7 million a year to the county's budget.

That money has been spent, as designed, on flood-control projects, programs and vans for the county's division of Aging Services and to run the county's recently expanded jail.

Rawlings said 2008 may bring about some economizing to fund flood-control projects.

He's investigating the possibility of using $1.7 million to $2 million a year from the tax increase that is earmarked toward Public Works to leverage against a 20-year sales-tax revenue bond.

That way, the county pays off the bond with the tax revenue and more projects can be finished.

Davis County Public Works director Tom Smith has identified flood-control projects for the next 20 years.

"We could do $25 to $30 million worth of projects at today's prices," Rawlings said.

Millburn said he's not an advocate of going into debt.

"But timeliness and efficiency can save a lot of money," he said.

Commissioners are expected to approve the tentative budget Tuesday. By Nov. 20, the budget will be available for public inspection at the Davis County Memorial Courthouse in Farmington.

A public hearing on the county's final budget is set for Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Farmington Junior High.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com