Butler County hopes to get a grant for investigating gun violence and for prosecution that the District Attorney’s office would use to combat gun violence.

The county commissioners on Wednesday approved submitting an application for the $273,831 grant. District Attorney Richard Goldinger said the money would come from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

His office would use the money to create a detective’s position for two years and to buy equipment that would be used in “high intensity” law enforcement situations.

The detective would gather statistics on guns and gun violence, which is done by various personnel now, he said.

Leslie Osche, chairwoman of the commissioners, said the county has a low crime rate, but firearms are an issue.

Goldinger agreed. He said the crime rate is low and the county is a safe place to live, but people having unregistered guns, and guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them are problems.

He said a stolen gun was used to kill a man whose body was found May 17 in his vehicle along Portersville Road in Muddy Creek Township.

Also at the meeting, the commissioners approved a 10-year lease for office space at 107 Woody Drive in Butler to eventually serve as the new offices of the Butler City Magisterial District Court and the county coroner.

The agreement calls for the county to pay the landlord, the Community Development Corporation of Butler County, $7,900 a month in rent for the first three years, $8,219 a month in years four through seven, and $8,551 a month in the last three years.

Solicitor Wil White said engineers are working on a design to separate the district court office from the coroner’s office. The district court office is expected to be completed in late spring or early summer next year, he said.

Osche said the election bureau will move to the existing district court office after the court moves.

The district court is currently at 227 W. Cunningham St., and the coroner’s office is on the fifth floor of the county government center.

Osche said the coroner’s office does not have a morgue, and the city is looking into the possibility of creating one in the new office, determining if a morgue would be compatible with surrounding businesses.

The county rents space for a morgue at the Young Funeral Home in Butler.

In other business, the commissioners opened bids to repair the White Bridge in Evans City. The bids were tabled for review.

Two bids were submitted for precast concrete deck panels. Brayman Precast of Saxonburg submitted a bid of $133,000 and PennStress of Hollidaysburg, Blair County, bid $162,200.

Carmen Paliotta Contracting Co. of South Park Township, Allegheny County, submitted a bid of $59,900 to install steel pilings for the bridge.

The commissioners also approved submitting an application to the state for $947,477 in Community Development Block Grants for Jackson, Jefferson, Penn, Slippery Rock and Summit townships.