FARMINGTON — Questions from residents Wednesday about line-item expenses in the 2008 Davis County budget led county commissioners to table the budget until a later date in December.

Of the 47 people in attendance at the county's budget public hearing, 20 were employees or elected officials, a far cry from a similar meeting in 2006.

Just 13 people addressed commissioners Wednesday, though most comments regarded higher property taxes in Farmington, Bountiful, North Salt Lake and Kaysville.

But the residents who wanted to talk specifically about budget expenses got Commissioner Bret Millburn's attention, and he offered to table passing the budget so those residents could visit county offices to learn more.

All three commissioners said they're comfortable with the $91.3 million operating budget for 2008, which represents no new property-tax increases. The total expenditures budget is $94.8 million, with $3.5 million carried over from 2007 for capital projects.

Commissioners in 2007 voted unanimously to raise property taxes 37 percent to fund operations of the expanded Davis County Jail, restore ailing flood channels and provide revenue to the county's Division of Aging Services.

About 80 people showed up to the 2007 public hearing, and most of the 15 residents who addressed commissioners opposed the tax increase.

Expenses in the 2008 operations budget are just $3.6 million above 2007's budget, and commissioners say they're proud to have kept the budget tight this year by cutting $12 million in requests from the county's department heads.

By law, commissioners need to approve a budget by Dec. 31, so they expect to pass the budget on Dec. 11 or Dec. 18, the next two regular commission meetings, which are held at the Davis County Memorial Courthouse in Farmington at 10 a.m.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com