Taxpayers should look kindly on the 2009 health care plan approved by the county commissioners Wednesday for 155 full-time nonunion employees. The plan acknowledges the increasing burden such costs are posing for county government and the taxpayers who fund the government.

Actually, Wednesday's action mandating a 1.5-percent-of-salary contribution was long overdue. It should have occurred during a term of the previous board of commissioners, whose decisions are much to blame for the financial challenges that the county currently is facing.

Regardless, government workers on all levels should not be immune from the kinds of requirements employees in private businesses and industries are required to shoulder.

In fact, if the commissioners had approved a plan under which the nonunion workers would have had to pay 3 percent of their salary for health insurance, that requirement would not have been excessive, considering the costs to the county for providing such coverage.

The health care payment responsibilities that will go into effect as a result of Wednesday's action should be accepted by unions representing about 500 other workers whose contracts expire on Nov. 30.

Considering the obligations facing taxpayers, the county's demand could justifiably be significantly higher. Fortunately for county workers, the commissioners aren't yet talking about layoffs, which should be implemented as part of any plan to raise taxes.

Taxation under next year's budget is supposed to be revenue neutral, due to the commissioners' change of the assessment ratio earlier this year to 100 percent of 1969 values from 75 percent. But if the preliminary budget indicates a deficit, the county is permitted to increase property taxes by up to 5 percent.

With the nation's economic turmoil getting worse, the commissioners should employ all means possible to avoid a tax increase, even going so far as paring down the county's bureaucracy.

The city of Johnstown, which operates with a much smaller employee component than what Butler County government employs, is talking about cutting or leaving vacant about a dozen jobs in order to balance the city's 2009 budget.

Meanwhile, the city manager has said he would be taking a voluntary pay cut.

If the commissioners refuse to make the difficult decisions necessary to avoid a tax increase for next year, they too should take a voluntary pay cut.

Under Wednesday's action, not only will the 1.5 percent health care contribution be in effect for the nonunion workers, but the plan also puts in place health insurance deductibles. The deductible will be $250 for individuals and $500 for a second person. The health insurance setup also requires prescription co-pays ranging between $10 and $40.

None of those requirements are out of line with what is found in the business and industrial sectors.

Fortunately for most of the nonunion workers, the changes regarding health insurance aren't likely to affect their household budgeting. That's because the commissioners also approved a 2 percent pay increase for those employees for next year, and the pay raise doesn't affect the separate longevity pay increases awarded workers reaching their fifth and 10th years of county service.

Employees working for the county for five years receive an additional 4.5 percent increase that remains in place as their service continues. At year 10, a worker's salary is bumped up another 2.5 percent, which also is a permanent increase.

Many people in the community who are hard-pressed paying their county taxes don't have such a generous pay provision.

Taxpayers deserve extra consideration when it comes to finances not only by the county government but also by their municipalities and school districts. By Wednesday's action, the commissioners indicated that they recognize the need for government to cut costs. The commissioners should stand firm in expecting that the two unions that are negotiating new contracts for their workers accept requirements similar to what nonunion workers will be living under.

Again, the potential burden on county workers could be much more formidable, accompanied by some thinning of their ranks. Under the circumstances, they should consider themselves very lucky and try however they can to help the commissioners navigate the financial challenges that lie ahead.