Clearfield Council OKs tentative budget

CLEARFIELD — The Clearfield City Council unanimously approved a tentative budget of $15,046,484 for fiscal 2007 during its meeting Tuesday night.

No new taxes or fees were included in the budget, although the fee structure for water, sewer and storm-sewer services could be changed later this year.

City employees will receive a 2 percent cost-of-living increase. Budgets for 17 city departments will go up, and 13 will go down.

Beginning in fiscal 2007, the city will no longer charge residents a property tax to run the North Davis Fire District, created by Clearfield and West Point in 2005. The fire district will levy the property tax instead. Clearfield residents' portion of the tax is $993,600, according to a letter from city finance director Bob Wylie to the council.

Until the creation of the fire district, Clearfield had a fire department and contracted with West Point for fire services.

The city's aquatic center is expected to generate nearly $1.2 million during fiscal 2007, and will cost nearly $1.1 million to run. The aquatic center makes up nearly all of the revenue the city earns from what it charges for services.

The budget contains one new full-time computer specialist in information technology and makes the current part-time assistant city recorder a full-time position.

Budget projections show that 46 percent of the city's revenue comes from taxes, while 2 percent comes from licenses and permits. Six percent comes from federal grant money.

The city owes $2 million in debt for bonds issued in 1998, 2000 and 2003. Now that the tentative budget has been approved, the public may comment on it at a public hearing during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 13. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m.

---

E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com