WAILUKU — Mayor Charmaine Tavares announced today that while some utility rates would go up, Maui County would not have to resort to layoffs, furloughs or any real property tax hikes in her administration's fiscal year 2010 budget proposal.

"No jobs have been cut," Tavares said during a news conference in the Planning Department conference room attended by county workers and department heads.

Property tax revenue increases and a significant infusion of federal stimulus and state revolving fund dollars allowed total county revenue for the operating and capital improvement budgets to go up to $572 million for fiscal 2010, a 2 percent increase over current fiscal 2009 budget revenue, which stands at a little more than $560 million, she said.

But the 2 percent increase in income is expected to cover previously negotiated county employee pay raises and higher benefit costs, leaving the rest of the budget basically the same or less than the current year, Tavares said.

The mayor said she was able to put together a "tight and focused budget" because her department heads as well as nonprofit leaders have been working for months to slash their budgets by up to 15 percent.

A big part of what saved the county from layoffs or higher taxes was how department heads put off equipment purchases, chose not to immediately fill certain empty positions and eliminate or delay travel and training programs, said county Budget Director Fred Pablo.

Much of the county's home and condominium property values flat-lined or in some instances plummeted since the recession hit the nation. But hotel, resort and time-share values increased property tax revenues overall in Maui County by $15.4 million, or 7 percent, Tavares said.

Net real property tax revenues are expected to come in at $235.7 million, which makes up 40 percent of the county budget. County Managing Director Sheri Morrison said the hotel tax revenue may change because she anticipates some of the hotels to appeal their assessed property tax values with the county.

Pablo said that county officers were able to get their wish list of ready-to-go public works projects from President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the 2010 budget could go up to $736 million. The actual 2009 budget has gone up to $648 million so far because of internal fund transfers and outside sources.