S.L. Council starts 'detailed' work on budget

It's budget season in Salt Lake City, and for the next two months the City Council will examine and re-examine Mayor Rocky Anderson's proposed $190 million budget, looking for ways to trim the proposal while providing the same services.

"What the council will do is be very detailed and very surgical," said Councilman Eric Jergensen.

During Thursday's work meeting, nothing was cut from the budget, but council members called on city departments to explain their budget proposals, which could mean a $50 to $60 property tax increase for homeowners if approved as is.

The council directed its staff to examine how to fund Anderson's proposals using only revenue from new growth rather than a tax increase.

Anderson's proposed budget calls for an increase in property taxes and fees to fund 44 new city employees, including new police officers, Justice Court clerks and other staff positions.

Anderson proposed the same property tax increase in 2005, Jergensen said, and the council managed to add 10 police officers to the payroll without raising the property tax.

"I don't think we have to pay for everything on the backs of the citizens of our city," Jergensen said. "We have to be careful with our funds."

Anderson's proposed property tax increase translates to $38 a year on a $190,000 home and $364 a year on a business with $1 million in assets, Jergensen said. But when fees are calculated into the total burden residents will pay, it's more like $50 to $60 a year on a $190,000 home and $370 to $380 a year for a $1 million business.

That number could be even higher if the board of trustees at the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy approves its first property tax increase since 1984.

The district provides wholesale water supplies to Salt Lake City, Sandy and other water users and has several projects, including a new water treatment plant at the Point of the Mountain, expansion projects at the Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant and an aqueduct connecting the two, according to a news release from the water district.

The estimated increase for Salt Lake City residents would be 84 cents monthly — or just over $10 a year — and $1.20 monthly or $14.40 yearly for Sandy residents (estimates are based on a $200,000 home).

The proposed budget will be presented at a public hearing on May 15 at 6 p.m. at the water district's office, located at 3430 E. Danish Road in Sandy.

Each increase is a burden, Jergensen says, and more so for many people who have fixed incomes.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com