The Summit County Council will not raise property taxes in 2010 to support the $47.1 million budget it approved following a public hearing Dec. 9.

Property tax supports about 32 percent of the county budget. General and municipal sales tax brings in about $7.6 million, which is roughly 16 percent of the overall budget.

With property taxes due Nov. 30, more than 89 percent of the money had been collected by Dec. 22.

“We’re only about half a percent different from last year,” Chief Deputy Summit County Treasurer Beth Jacobson said about last year’s collection rate of 90 percent.

Taxpayers whose bills exceed $500 are assessed a 2-percent penalty fee on late payments. Interest begins accruing on tax payments not made by Jan. 16.

“If it’s under $500 then it’s a $10 penalty,” Jacobson said.

The budget for 2010 reflects a roughly 1-percent increase in spending. Capital projects are expected to make up about 3 percent of that increase. Mineral-lease monies and money unspent in 2009 will help fund next year’s increase for buildings and roads, according to Summit County Auditor Blake Frazier.

To help balance next year’s budget, four positions in the County Courthouse were eliminated. Laid off were former Public Works Assistant Administrator Rick Dunford, building inspectors Curt Allen and Tom Costanzo and a nurse in the County Health Department whose name was not released.

In 2010, there will be a 3-percent pay increase for employees earning less than $30,000 per year. Workers earning up to $42,000 will receive a 2-percent raise and a 1-percent pay hike is slated for employees who earn up to $52,000 per year.

According to Summit County Councilman Chris Robinson, payroll and employee benefits are two of the county’s biggest expenditures.

“We’ve had very few reductions in force and through attrition and other belt-tightening we’ve managed to come up with what I think is a real good budget,” Robinson said in a telephone interview Thursday. “You just need to look around to see there are a lot more [layoffs] than we’ve had.”

The county continues relying on steady property-tax collections to fund the budget, he explained.

“The budget seems quite resilient. Our revenues seem more durable than a lot of places, for which we should be grateful,” Robinson said.

The 2010 budget included funding for several non-profit organizations.

“We did not balance this budget on the backs of the nonprofits. They were treated well,” Robinson said.

The groups were required to apply for funding by Oct. 1.

“There were a few that were not funded for whatever reason. But, of those that put in, most were funded,” Robinson said.

Nonprofits that could receive money from the county in the 2010 include:

Recycle Utah $24,000

Leadership Park City $10,000

Peace House $20,000

Mountainlands Community Housing Trust $14,000

Community Action $7,500

Habitat for Humanity $15,000

People’s Health Clinic $30,000

Wasatch-Summit Counties Children’s Justice Center $12,000

Summit County Friends of Animals $5,000

Summit Land Conservancy $8,000

Christian Center of Park City $10,000