Commissioners approve county budget
The county commissioners on Wednesday, Dec. 20, approved a $263 million budget that does not increase taxes next year.
The $262,970,167 budget reflects a 7% increase over this year’s.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel said the budget does not require the county to borrow a tax anticipation loan.
Leslie Osche, commissioners’ chairwoman, said the budgeting process over the last several years has resulted in budgets that are reasonable to taxpayers, use revenue to expand services that are needed and the add to a fund balance that will pay for capital needs for at least the next 5 to 10 years.
Most of the increase in the budget is the result of a $13.4 million loan the commissioners took out in April to fund municipal infrastructure projects through the Infrastructure Bank.
The general fund shows a 5% increase to $78,686,290. A large part of the increase is the result of the settlement of several employee union contracts this year.
About 68% of the general fund revenue comes from $53.4 million in projected real estate tax collections. Charges for services from row offices, state and federal funding and fund transfers make up $19.1 million and $6.1 million from the fund balance account for the rest of the general fund revenue.
Tax revenue increased by about $1 million, but the assessed value of property in the county decreased by almost $5 million due to assessment appeals from motels and other businesses that began in 2020 because of COVID-19 business slow downs.
The budget maintains the current real estate tax rate of 27.62 mills, which is divided into 22.05 mills, or $42.6 million, for general purposes; 2.63 mills, or $5.09 million, for debt service and 2.93 mills, or $5.6 million, for the annual contribution to Butler County Community College.
Major expenditures in the general fund include 30% for public safety, 22% for judicial costs and 20% for general government.
Large operational expenses include $16.5 million for the prison, $8.9 million for court administration and related offices, $7.1 million for contributions to agencies such as the Community Development Corporation, Penn State Extension and the airport authority, $5 million for debt service, $3.8 million for adult probation, $3.3 million for the Sheriff’s Office, $3.2 million for Children and Youth Services, $2.6 million for the District Attorney’s Office, $1.7 million for information technology and another $1.7 million for juvenile probation.
