A tentative budget of nearly $42 million for Davis County next year has been adopted but put on hold until the outcome of next week's vote on the tax initiatives.
The commissioners passed the tentative budget this week, totaling $41,737,967, but are now waiting to see what happens Tuesday when voters decide whether to roll back property and income taxes.This year's budget cuts more than $1.5 in spending already, according to the commission, to accommodate reductions in federal revenue sharing. Instead of increasing property taxes to make up for the expected revenue shortfalls, departments were asked to cut spending levels instead.
That will reduce spending in departments funded by property taxes and the federal funds from $15.6 million in 1988 to $13.7 million next year. The commissioners estimate an additional 13 to 16 percent would have to be cut from each department if the initiatives pass.
But the news is not all bad. The commission said an additional $530,000 in federal grants, specifically ear-marked for job-training programs, will be received in 1989.
Another major change that will result in a property tax increase is the construction of the county's new jail and court complex, already under way on 50 acres in West Farmington.
Davis County voters approved an $18.5 million bond issue a year ago and $16 million of the bonds will be sold early in 1989 to begin construction, the commission said.
That will bring an annual increase of $16 in property taxes for the owner of a $70,000 house, the county estimates.
The largest single appropriation is to operate the county sheriff's department, budgeted at $2,322,183 for 1989, down from $2,397,429 for this year. Operating the county jail, also a sheriff's department responsibility, is budgeted seperately, at $1,200,869 for next year compared with $1,251,855 for 1988.
A change in state law effective Jan. 1 gives the county at least one break on spending. District court employees will become state, rather than county, workers, so the county's appropriation for district court spending will drop from $115,380 to $21,000.
And, with no national, state or county elections in 1989, the county's election budget will fall from $172,934 to $51,780.
The commission estimates the county's total assessed valuation at $3.33 billion for 1989, up slightly over the 1988 total of $3,264,696,802. The total valuation for 1987 was $3,200,390,341.
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