Rising fuel costs have created a few headaches this year for Utah County Public Works Director Clyde Naylor. Public works budgeted $500,000 for fuel in 2005 but needed an additional $50,000 during midyear budget amendments to finish out the year.

For 2006, Naylor has requested $750,000 to cover fuel costs for public works, which purchases gasoline in bulk for county vehicles — including those used by the sheriff's department.

"The fuel adjustment was something we couldn't foresee," Jackson said.

Budgeting for fuel increases is hardly an exact science, Naylor said, but he's hoping the $750,000 will cover the county's needs.

"We took the increase that we had this year and projected it for a full year," he said.

Public works also has requested about $1 million more for roads in 2006 than in 2005 — increasing that item from $3.89 million to $4.81 million. That jump is the result of a planned right-of-way purchase on a road in the area between Salem and Spanish Fork, Naylor said.

On the revenue side, property tax revenue is budgeted at $13.3 million for 2006 — up from $12.9 million in 2005. The additional money is expected to come from continuing commercial and residential development in the county.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com