County holds public hearing on tentative budget; county attorney urges more prosecutors to handle heavy caseloads

The Utah County Commission opened a public hearing on its tentative budget after a summary presentation from Jeremy Walker, director of financial services, who highlighted key changes in the general fund and invited public input.

Walker said the tentative general fund shows a 12% increase in expenditures over 2024 (excluding transfers) and includes transfers of $4,500,000 to a capital fund, $7,800,000 to the health fund and $1,500,000 to the children's justice center. He said personnel costs are expected to rise about 8% while sales‑ and property‑tax estimates are anticipated to produce "an average year." Walker also described outreach that included mailings to property owners, earlier public hearings and commission work sessions; the tentative budget was posted for the required public comment period.

During the hearing, Jeff Gray — identified in the record as a Mapleton citizen and Utah County Attorney — urged the commission to add resources to the prosecutor's office. Gray said current prosecutors carry heavy caseloads, describing averages of "about a 196 cases" per prosecutor and general‑felony attorneys handling roughly 300 cases where he said an ideal caseload would be about 150. He said the county has six SVU (sexual/assault) attorneys and requested four more so each court would have one dedicated SVU attorney, warning that staffing shortages force difficult charging and plea decisions.

The commission opened and closed the public hearing by voice vote and invited citizens to submit written comments on the posted tentative budget as part of the formal process. No formal budget adoption occurred at the meeting; the public comment period will be used to compile feedback before further action.