Despite not wanting a property tax hike next year, the Butler County Commissioners won't support a proposed 2008 county budget of $182 million that cuts funding to various organizations, such as Butler County Community College, to keep taxes from increasing.

Commissioner Glenn Anderson said at Wednesday's commissioners meeting he is not in favor of a tax hike or cutting funding.

He said the commissioners should meet with commissioners-elect Dale Pinkerton and Jim Lokhaiser before making final decisions on the budget.

"They have to live with the decision," Anderson said about Pinkerton and Lokhaiser.

None of the three current commissioners would commit to a way to balance the budget — increasing taxes or cutting funding to organizations.

"I don't have a bottom line," Lowe said.

Under the proposal, only one of 35 organizations requesting money would receive any from the county.

BC3 would get the mandated minimum of $1.5 million of the $4.7 it requested.

Bill O'Donnell, chief county clerk, said the commissioners insisted on not having a tax hike in the budget, so the funding cuts were his only option to make that directive possible.

"I didn't have the support to raise taxes," he said.

The commissioners didn't reconcile how they could have it both ways: not raising taxes while continuing funding to organizations.

O'Donnell said there was no way he could make a budget fill the commissioners' criteria without proposing the cuts.

"I couldn't find any other revenue," he said.

O'Donnell said a 2.5-mill tax hike would cover most of the $5.4 million sought by various organizations this year. The tax rate is 27.5 mills.

The 35 organizations requested a total of nearly $6 million for 2008.

Ed Rupert, director of Butler County Property and Revenue, said later in the day a 2.5-mill hike would cost the average homeowner $37.50 more in taxes.

Under a 2.5-mill increase, someone owning a home with a $100,000 market value, or a $10,000 assessed value, would pay $25 more annually.

Before the commissioners expressed their noncommitment to the proposed budget, representatives from several of the affected organizations requested their funding not be cut.

Nicholas Neupauer, BC3 president, said the loss of county funding would devastate the college.

"I would ask you to reconsider," he said to the commissioners. "Our students and community at large are dependent on you."

The college received $4.4 million from the county this year and requested $4.7 million for 2008.

Diane Sheets, executive director of the Community Development Corporation of Butler County, said a lack of funding could jeopardize the renovation project at Pullman ballpark.

"This ... could affect our ability to close on the loan," she said.

The CDC received $235,000 in 2007 and requested the same amount for 2008.

Sheila Brown, administrator of the Butler County Federated Library System, also stressed the importance of the county's contribution to the library.

"We simply won't exist," she said.

The library system received $238,000 this year and requested $245,000 for 2008.

The various organizations panicked about funding after the county on Tuesday sent a letter to them about the cuts.

The proposed budget, which keeps property taxes at this year's rate, is a $7 million reduction from this year's $189 million budget. O'Donnell attributed the decrease to construction winding down on the new county prison.

Borrowed funds are paying for the $40 million project, with $7.6 million in expenses allotted for construction in 2008.

Along with being the largest capital expenditure, the new prison also will have the largest operating expenses at more than $9 million.

The county will operate the new prison, which is expected to be done in May 2008, for half of the year.

The project also accounts for $5.6 million in debt service for 2008.

The commissioners said they plan to meet with the commissioners-elect to review the budget before the Dec. 27 approval.

Neither Pinkerton nor Lokhaiser commented on including a tax hike in the budget, which they could reopen after taking office on Jan. 7. However, they did say they do not want to see funding for the various organizations eliminated.

Pinkerton said no one wants a community without a library.

Although officials discussed designating millage specifically for the college or the library, that would not impact whether there is tax hike.

Like the current 5-mill debt tax, a college or library tax would just free up more room for general fund taxes.

Under state law, the county can only designate a total of 25 mills for the general fund. Of the current 27.5 mills, 22.5 goes into the general fund.

O'Donnell said the county eventually needs to raise the property tax assessment from the current 75 percent to 100 percent to generate more revenue because there is opposition to reassessments.

"I think we're going to have to do it sooner rather than later," he said.

O'Donnell said the county now can only tax $1.13 billion, the total assessed value of property, out of the total $11.8 billion in market value.

The county's last property assessments were done in 1969.