Does Utah County have a serious budget shortfall?

Does Utah County have a serious budget shortfall? At the May 11, 2010 Utah County Commission meeting it was announced that sales tax revenue in Utah County had declined another 6.4% in 2010, and Utah County was facing a serious budget deficit.

A proposal was made to required employees to pay co-payments on health insurance (like over 90% of the employees in the private sector are already doing) and decrease the 401(k) match from 6% to 2%. Unfortunately, our opponent immediately dismissed this proposal, and any other proposal to balance Utah County's budget.

I believe Utah County needs to start living within their means, and balance the budget as soon as revenues decrease so they can avoid deficit spending.

The Daily Herald agrees, and wrote this strongly worded editorial supporting a balanced budget:

IN OUR VIEW
Utah County cuts

Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010

At some point Utah County will likely need to cut employee benefits to balance the budget.
Commissioner Steve White has been looking for a way to slash millions, and is right to do so. Which is less unpalatable, he asked: firing $5 million worth of employees or trimming their benefits?
Commissioner Gary Anderson pooh-poohed: "The last thing we want to do is harm the benefits of the great employees of this county," he said.
Eventually, however, White will be proved right. An interesting parallel lies across the pond, in Europe, where governments in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain have either cut the pay of government workers or announced plans to do so.
In other words, in a era when the prime minister of Great Britain will cut his own pay by 5 percent, it's easy to imagine that a Utah County employee may soon have to chip in more for health insurance.
That's Europe, you say. But states, counties and cities across the U.S. are gushing red ink. The whole world is awakening from its government spending fantasy, and Utah County is not exempt. It can only try to limit the pain as much as possible.
Local government employees will be fortunate if the worst they must endure is stingier benefits.
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Also on this subject: Sheriff Jim Tracy criticized White's comments -- not so much for their content but for the fact the commissioner made them in public.
"It ought to be between the department heads and not in the public," Tracy said.
Baloney. Understanding the county budget is an urgent concern for taxpayers, and it should be debated fully in the open. The whole idea of elected leaders making vital decisions behind closed doors needs to go.
Is Tracy for government secrecy?

Article available at:

http://heraldextra.com/news/opinion/article_219222f4-d3b6-51d4-954c-98e7d3417ecd.html

See the coverage of Utah County's budget deficit from the Daily Herald and the Salt Lake Tribune in the comments below.