Butler County proposes nearly $263 million budget with no tax increase
The county commissioners on Wednesday unveiled a 2024 budget of nearly $263 million that does not increase taxes.
The $262,970,167 budget, which reflects a 7% increase over this year’s budget, is scheduled for a final vote at the commissioners’ Dec. 20 meeting.
Most of the increase is the result of a $13.4 million loan the commissioners took out in April to fund municipal infrastructure projects through the Infrastructure Bank.
Only one of the municipalities that requested the money for infrastructure projects has taken its money this year and the rest have until October 2024 to accept their money, said Ann Brown, budget director.
The general fund shows a 5% increase to $78,686,290. Brown said 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 $17 million over this year, 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 due to COVID-19 business slow downs.
“Our assessed value is going up; it’s just we’re still seeing the effects of those COVID tax appeals,” Brown said.
The 2024 real estate tax rate will remain at 27.62 mills, which is divided into 22.05 mills, or $42.6 million of the tax revenue, 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.
