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Utah County presents conservative tentative 2026 budget; health department, Children's Justice Center, CIP flagged for funding
Summary
Finance staff presented the county's tentative budget, using conservative revenue estimates and flagging requests including up to $8.3 million for the health department, roughly $2 million for the Children's Justice Center, and a $280,000 transfer to the capital improvement plan.
Utah County finance staff presented a tentative 2026 budget to commissioners during the Oct. 22 meeting, using conservative revenue estimates and identifying major spending pressures for next year.
Rod, who presented the budget to the board, said sales tax revenue was projected to rise 2.9% over the current year's budgeted revenue and property tax to grow about 2.3% over the 2025 budget. He said an outside consultant provided high, mid and low forecasts and the budget team used the low revenue forecast for the tentative budget while using conservative (higher) expense assumptions.
The presentation listed key figures and pressures: a 3.6% increase in general fund expenses, a 5.2% wage-and-benefit increase recommended by an outside consultant (the HR team may revise that number downward), a roughly $280,000 planned transfer to the capital improvement plan, about $2,000,000 needed for the Children's Justice Center, and up to $8,300,000 potentially needed for the health department. Rod told the commission the budget team visited every department to confirm fee revenue projections.
On the use of fund balance, Rod said the county has frequently budgeted a use of fund balance and historically has not used the full amount budgeted. "I wouldn't have any heartburn about budgeting into the fund balance because we typically do that," he said, describing fund balance as available for emergencies and noting salary savings that typically materialize during the year.
Commissioners asked for the consultant's underlying projections. Rod agreed to forward the high/mid/low numbers and suggested the commission wait for an updated October 1 forecast before making final changes. The tentative budget is a statutory requirement of the auditor's office; the commission later approved the tentative budget at the same meeting.
The board approved item 11, the tentative budget, by motion and second and a voice vote; the transcript records the approval but does not include a roll-call tally.
