Butler City Council tabled voting to introduce the 2020 budget on Thursday so officials can look into a decrease in the property value assessment of Ward 3 by about $6 million.

According to City Councilman Ken Bonus, Ward 3 primarily includes the city's Island neighborhood.

A vote on a $9.38 million budget, which does not raise the real estate tax rate of 43.25 mills, was tabled after council members said they learned on Monday or Tuesday that the Butler County Assessment Office reduced the assessed property value of Ward 3 to $10.8 million from the current value of just over $17 million.

If the assessment is correct, then it would mean a sharp drop in the amount of taxes collected by the city.

“The county said we lost a third of the assessed value of Ward 3,” Councilman Jeff Smith said. “I don't believe that's accurate.

Council continued Thursdays' meeting until 1 p.m. Monday, by which time they hope to learn from the county if a mistake was made in determining the assessed value.

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