Mayor Rocky Anderson's proposed $639 million budget for 2005-06 calls for a property-tax increase to hire police officers, for nonresidents to pay more to bury their dead in the City Cemetery and for motorists to dig deeper to park at city meters.

Anderson presented his spending plan to the City Council on Tuesday night. While the mayor's office considers it a "lean" budget, the mayor wants to add the equivalent of 18 new positions to the city's payroll.

The biggest changes: A property-tax hike to hire 15 officers and two administrators.

"The choices have been difficult, but by directing our resources toward the core functions of city government, we can assure the people who live, do business and visit our city a safe, healthy, vibrant community," Anderson said.

He said the extra officers will boost patrols downtown and in parks. They are also needed, he said, to handle a projected jump in the city's daytime population - the people who come to work, shop and play - through 2010. By then, the city will need another 90 officers to bring the force to 499.

But while the police union agrees more officers are needed, it opposes the proposal, saying the city needs to pay its existing officers better before it hires more.

"I would personally love to have 100 more cops," union President Lee Dobrowolski said before the meeting. "Do we really want to hire 15 more that we can't compensate? Employees here need to be compensated for the work they're already doing."

While the average salary of capital city police officers is the highest in Salt Lake County, Dobrowolski said the numbers are skewed because the city has more experienced officers than other police departments. With benefits, their lowest- and highest-paid officers are paid less than in surrounding cities.

Plus, Dobrowolski said, the department can't fill the vacancies it has now. He said it is projected to have 20 by July. He isn't calling for a tax hike, but "if we're going to increase taxes, let's do the right thing with it" by raising pay for all officers.

The fire department union also opposes the proposed tax increase without a pay boost for firefighters.

The mayor is calling for a "modest" increase in salaries but won't say by how much since he is still negotiating with the employee unions.

Anderson's budget addresses downtown issues. The city expects to lose $225,000 this year in sales tax while the Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center malls are gutted and rebuilt.

Most of the city's parking meters are downtown, and Anderson wants to increase the fee by 25 cents an hour. It will cost $20,000 to convert the city's 2,175 meters and the fee hike is expected to raise $300,000.

Contacted before the meeting, Richard Wirick, owner of Oxford Shop at 100 South and West Temple, is ambivalent about the parking proposal. He said the meter hike might "scare people away" but noted he can buy parking tokens for 25 cents that allow his shoppers to park for an hour at city meters.

The mayor found controversial ways to save money.

He wants to cut ties with the Economic Development Corp. of Utah and the Utah League of Cities and Towns. The mayor says the league doesn't represent the city's interests and points to how it didn't oppose a state bill that now forbids cities from using redevelopment money on sports facilities. Salt Lake City wants to do that to help build a Major League Soccer stadium.

Ken Bullock, director of ULCT, said "it's the mayor's prerogative" to leave the league, but he hopes the council will reject the idea. Salt Lake City would join Lehi as the two out of 241 cities in Utah to forgo membership in ULCT, which Bullock says provides cities a voice in state government issues.

EDCU promotes the state to companies looking to expand or relocate. Anderson wants to add a business-recruitment specialist in his office instead.

In other action the council:

l Approved four rate increases for taxi companies, including allowing companies to charge $1.80 per mile, an increase of 20 cents.

l Approved a $1.5 million beautification project for 900 East and 900 South, which includes median planters and the removal of two lanes of traffic.