Butler County Commissioner James Kennedy used flawed reasoning Wednesday in voting against the hiring of two additional probation officers.

Kennedy based his reasoning on the fact that the county had refused other departments' requests for additional personnel this year; therefore, hiring the probation officers should be rejected also.

What his argument ignored is that the new officers' salaries and benefits would be paid by way of significantly higher fees imposed on first-time participants in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program and state subsidies. The pay and benefits money won't be coming from general county taxpayer revenue, as most, if not all, of the other requests would have required.

But if the planned funding of the two new positions isn't sufficient or, for whatever reason, doesn't materialize, then the county should eliminate one or both of the positions.

Kennedy said the hirings wouldn't be fair. All considered, fairness is not an issue in this matter.