Even though the Butler County commissioners approved a $160 million budget Thursday with no tax increase or cuts to county services, layoffs to county employees could be a real possibility in the future.
Board Chairman Commissioner Leslie Osche said staffing costs remain a concern- especially if the state has to make major cuts resulting in less state money for Butler County- which is used to cover salaries for human service employees.
“We will have to be prepared to revisit the staffing levels,” Osche said during a Butler County Salary Board meeting on Thursday.
Osche said the county’s budget is too tight to cover salaries funded by the state.
“We don’t have room in the budget to maintain services,” she said.
Any issues with state funding won’t be revealed until halfway through next year. The state operates on a fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Employee costs in Butler County are expected to total nearly $35 million in 2017, including over $22 million for salaries and roughly $12 million for benefits.
