The three Salt Lake County commissioners are powerful people. They oversee the second-largest governmental budget in Utah, after all. But they aren't quite as powerful as some people think.
"Contrary to some of the phone calls we've received, the commission did not plan the snowstorm," Commission Chairman Brent Overson said.The storm may have kept some people away from Friday evening's public hearing on the county's proposed 1999 budget, but there were still enough there -- about 150 in all -- to basically fill commission chambers.
State law requires governments to hold public truth-in-taxation hearings whenever they propose a property tax increase, which the commission is doing this year. They have proposed a $15 million increase in the general fund and a $3 million increase in the municipal services fund.
That translates to an additional $61 per year in taxes for the owner of a $164,000 home (the average value in the county) in the unincorporated areas, and $36 for one living in a city.
The last time the county raised taxes, in 1991, almost every person who came to the public hearing protested the tax hike. That's not unusual. What is unusual is that this time around, there were just as many who said the commission "hadn't raised taxes enough." Before voting last month to raise taxes, the commission cut requested department budgets by $53.6 million, which some say will reduce services to unacceptable levels.
The overall county budget is $496 million.
Dr. Jack Petajan, a physician at University Hospital, said the $1.8 million cut in the health department's requested budget would endanger children because of inadequate immunizations and put at risk the public water supply, among other things.
"To decrease this type of health care is a perfect example of being penny-wise and pound-foolish," he said.
Others expressed concern about the $1 million cut from the requested county library budget. That eliminated funds for design of a new Draper branch and various technological improvements in all branches, as well as squeezing basic personnel and check-out functions.
Of most consequence, dollar-wise, was the $8.3 million cut in Sheriff Aaron Kennard's investigation, patrol and jail budgets and elimination of a proposed Emergency Operations Center, which would have combined communications and record-keeping throughout the valley.
Kennard was the first to speak at the hearing and gave the commission an earful about what he perceived to be serious short- and long-term threats to public safety.
"I think we all know that exhibition halls, golf courses, parks and recreation centers cannot put out fires or make arrests of violent criminals," he said.
There were, of course, various speakers during the three-hour-plus hearing who protested the tax hike, saying commissioners could have done more to cut budgets. Some said they were especially frustrated because the county's budget growth has far outstripped physical growth in recent years.
Resident Kevin Wright said commissioners keep repeating that they haven't raised taxes in seven years, but if that pattern continues over the next seven years, and the next, he said, "at some point, you have all our money."
The commission maintains that it had to approve the combination draconian cuts/tax hikes because service demand is exceeding growth. The measures are necessary to balance the budget over the next few years, as recommended by the auditor. But commissioners recognized that action would bring protests from both sides: those who said service was compromised by the cuts, and those opposing the tax increase.
"You really have, tonight, a commission sandwich," Commissioner Randy Horiuchi said.
But Horiuchi said he was ready to take the heat for his actions.
"I'm here to take a whupping from all of you," he said.
The commission is scheduled to make a final decision on the budget on Monday, Dec. 14.