The Butler County Council of Governments does not support the county giving some of its natural gas drilling impact fee money to municipalities.

In a letter dated Sept. 12, the COG told Commissioner Jim Eckstein that his proposal would result in a disproportionate share of money being dispersed.

The COG is an association of 30 townships and boroughs that work to reduce costs such as road salt through bulk purchasing and to improve local government.

Jeff Smith, COG executive director, said in an interview the proposed distribution would be problematic because some municipalities could not afford to match any money awarded to them.

Eckstein last week proposed the distribution of 15 percent of county impact fee money to municipalities, which would then match the amount similar to how many state grants work.

Not all grants require a 50 percent match.

However, commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton shot down the proposal Sept. 8, preventing the topic from being included on the voting agenda for the Sept. 10 meeting.

Smith said the proposal was discussed at the COG meeting Sept. 11 because Eckstein on Sept. 10 e-mailed a request to all municipalities asking for support to lobby the other commissioners.

“We had a lot of discussion on it,” Smith said.

He said the COG members appreciated Eckstein’s intentions, but believe the idea was impractical to implement.

“There were some concerns over execution,” Smith said.

Representatives from 13 COG members attended the meeting Sept. 11. Voting members unanimously rejected Eckstein’s request.

Officials from Cranberry, Clinton, Forward, Muddy Creek, Penn and Winfield townships as well as Butler, Slippery Rock, Callery, Zelienople, Evans City and Harmony attended the meeting. The county, which is a nonvoting member, also was represented at the meeting.

Eckstein previously cited Zelienople and Evans City among municipalities seeking financial help for their projects.

He pointed out that his letters and e-mails asking for support were sent to boroughs and townships.

“I didn’t send it to the COG,” Eckstein said.

He said the attendance at last week’s COG meeting is only a small representation of the county, which has 57 municipalities.

Eckstein addressed the COG’s concerns about some municipalities not being able to match monetary amounts awarded to them by saying the ratio does not have to be 50/50.

He said municipalities could put up a small portion of the total amount.

“I still think it’s a good idea,” Eckstein said. “I see a need.”

His fellow commissioners disagree. McCarrier, board chairman, said municipalities where drilling occurs already receive impact fee money.

McCarrier stressed the county’s need to use its impact fee money to offset state funding cuts.

“That money was used to offset those cutbacks,” he said.

McCarrier cited such pending county expenses as emergency services needing more than $2.6 million in equipment in two years and a bond issue that could be paid off in 2016.

The county has eight radio consoles at the 911 dispatch center and 80 radios spread throughout 10 towers that are due for replacement.

Steve Bicehouse, director of county emergency services, said software for that radio system will no longer be supported in 2017 and parts are becoming more scarce.

Pinkerton agreed the county needs its impact fee dollars.

“It keeps all our taxes down,” he said.

Pinkerton said the other problem would be an unequal distribution of funds among the county’s municipalities.

“It’s unfair to the other communities,” he said. “There’s only so much money.”

McCarrier said Eckstein should not have spent county money mailing out letters to borough officials.

“I don’t think it was proper, but it’s his prerogative,” McCarrier said.

Eckstein said he mailed letters to 160 borough officials.

Smith said even though the COG does not back Eckstein’s proposal, it does support collaboration among county and municipal leaders.

“There should be active cooperation between county government and local municipalities,” he said.

Eckstein said critics of his plan are unnecessarily complicating the issue.

“They’re making this way too tough,” he said.