Duchesne County Commission adopts 2025 budget, approves library plan

Duchesne County commissioners unanimously adopted the county'wide 2025 budget and approved the 2025 library budget during a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 9, at the Duchesne County Administration Building.

Clerk/Auditor Shalise Jessen presented the spending plan and revenue projections, telling the commission, "we have a surplus of $14,639,763" for 2024 and outlining the county's proposed 2025 revenues. Jessen said the county projects $32,706,070 in total revenue for 2025, built from taxes ($16,294,142), oil royalties and leases ($8,000,210), charges for services ($3,790,550) and other sources.

The presentation broke out expenditures by department. Among the larger line items Jessen listed were the sheriff's office (about $4.34 million), the county jail (about $5.36 million), building and grounds ($2.45 million) and several administrative offices. Jessen said the revenues and expenditures for the general fund (Fund 10) were projected to balance at the $32.7 million level.

Commissioners used the hearing to thank staff for the budget process. Commissioner Greg Miles and Commissioner Killian both commended Jessen and department directors for organizing budget requests and numbers. Commissioner Killian moved to "accept the 2025 budget as presented," and Commissioner Greg Miles seconded. After the roll call for the vote, Chair Irene Hanson said the motion "passes unanimously." The record shows the commission adopted the county 2025 budget without recorded dissent.

After the county budget, the commission opened the public hearing on the library fund (Fund 22). Jessen presented the library's proposed 2025 budget of $1,185,282, with $819,500 projected from taxes, $60,000 from interest and roughly $289,782 from contributions and transfers.

Library Director Daniel Mokley described cost pressures on the library's operations and said some digital collections and other items would be scrutinized for further cuts. Mokley said the payment for Roosevelt was "a chunk for us" at about $140,000 and that securing financing earlier kept the library from paying significantly more amid rising inflation; he referenced a roughly "0.5% loan." Commissioners moved and seconded to accept the library budget as presented; the motion passed unanimously.

The commission concluded the hearing by thanking staff and noting that a landfill public hearing was scheduled to follow. No ordinances, statutes or external legal citations were introduced during the public hearing.

What happens next: the adopted budgets are part of the public record and are available for review in the clerk/auditor's office during normal business hours, and the commission proceeded to the next scheduled public hearing on landfill matters.