Butler’s proposed budget for 2025 anticipates $300,000 more in expenditures than its 2024 budget, and it will be balanced not with a millage rate hike but with money from the sale of Butler Area Sewer Authority in October.

City council voted to advertise the 2025 budget at a meeting Thursday evening, Nov. 21, with expenditures totaling about $10.87 million and the tax rate remaining steady at 44 mills. The 2024 budget had expenses totaling $10.5 million. The city received upward of $90 million from the sale of BASA, but officials said the use and auditing of that money still is being discussed.

Councilman Don Shearer, who is the city’s director of accounts and finance, said the city is planning to use about $643,000 from BASA sale proceeds to balance the budget, because the value of a mill once again decreased in Butler County. Shearer also said the expected expenses have not risen extravagantly in 2025 — salaries and payroll still make up about 90% of budget expenses, and the city is embarking on some capital projects next year.

Shearer said the city plans to purchase new police vehicles, and street paving is going to be a little more extensive than usual. Additionally, the city plans to revamp its parking infrastructure in 2025 by making improvements to its garages and installing electronic kiosks to replace the meters currently in use.

“We're looking to invest $1.1 million in the city's parking facilities which includes updating to kiosks, paving lots, reconstruction,” Shearer said. “All capital projects will be $3 million next year.”

Mayor Bob Dandoy said contracts with some union employees still are being negotiated, so the city projected some of the numbers for payroll in the proposed budget. The police union’s contract won’t expire for another year, but the fire department and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are up for renewal.

Dandoy also said the new police vehicles the city plans to purchase may be paid for in the budget, or by money received from the BASA sale. The money is in an account with NexTier Bank, but City Council will vote to create a trust fund next year that will hold the money and any interest it earns.

Shearer also said administrators worked on funding for an additional position for the code enforcement office, which has been on the to-do list for some time. Once hired, the city’s building code enforcement office will have two full-time code enforcement officers and one full-time zoning officer.

“That’s something the code enforcement has been asking for years,” Shearer said. “We expect the wage to be around $53,000 once they have all the training and certifications for the position.”