The Sanpete County Commission has approved its 1994 budget with no tax increase in 1994 for property owners and a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for county employees.
But the new budget also contains some news that over the long run may not be so pleasant: The commission has achieved a balanced budget by drawing down on the county's cash reserves.Sanpete County will have a cash balance of $1,559,994 Friday and will end 1994 with cash reserves of $1,259,095.
The principal reasons for the drawdown in the reserve are a shortfall in 1993 revenue and a reluctance of the commissioners to raise taxes, according to County Auditor Jay Alder.
The ongoing reserve has enabled county officials to avoid selling tax anticipation notes at the start of each fiscal year, he said.
A main source of revenue will be the property tax, which is projected to produce $1,354,653, up about $50,000 because of growth.
The county also anticipates receiving $520,000 in state Class "B" road money as its share of the gasoline tax and $384,000 in federal in lieu of taxes money.
In all, total revenue for 1984 is estimated at $3,945,399, not counting the reserve drawdown.
Sanpete County will spend $859,011 on roads, $621,363 on the sheriff's department, $106,344 on economic development and $800 on sanity hearings.
Between those extremes are more than 50 other activities that receive public funding as requests for services continue to mount.