Butler County will receive less money this year from the state’s natural gas drilling impact fee.

County Controller Ben Holland said the state Public Utility Commission gave him a preliminary figure of nearly $1.7 million for the pending disbursement of 2016 drilling.

The county received more than $1.9 million last year for 2015 drilling.

Holland said the second consecutive drop in revenue is no surprise.

The county received $2.1 million in 2015 for 2014 drilling.

The county commissioners say they also were not surprised by the decrease.

The commissioners last year set a policy to distribute the impact fee revenue.

The county policy allots portions of the revenue for operations or service debt of county emergency services, technological or capital improvements and the county infrastructure bank, which will offer grants and loans for municipal projects.

The PUC typically releases official impact fee revenue numbers in June with disbursements the following month.