Butler County taxpayers were dealt a disservice by the county commissioners' weak exercise in reining in tax-collection costs.

On Wednesday, the commissioners lowered the amount paid to tax collectors to $3.50 per tax bill sent out from the $4.50 the tax collectors currently receive for each bill that is paid. About 95 percent of property tax bills are paid before becoming delinquent.

The change in compensation takes effect in 2010.

The commssioners had until Feb. 15 to designate how much tax collectors will be paid for the years 2010 through 2013 and, rather than taking a serious money-saving stance, they opted to continue to excessively compensate an antiquated collection system that cost county taxpayers more than $335,000 in 2008.

The fact is that the county treasurer's office is capable of taking on the additional collection responsibility at a fraction of last year's cost. Diane Marburger, county treasurer, said her office could handle the extra work with one additional employee, if all of the local taxpayers resigned or chose not to seek re-election — and no one was appointed by municipalities to fill the vacancies.

But county leaders remained stuck in the outdated thinking of the past, and rather than setting a more reasonable rate, for instance $2 per tax bill, ignored the opportunity to save more money and the capability of the treasurer's office to assume the full tax-collection role, if necessary.

Much of what will be paid out annually from 2010 through 2013 to finance the current system, albeit at the $3.50 rate, could have helped ease the strain on the county budget. Instead, the county will realize an annual savings of just about $75,000 because of the board of commissioners' decision to support an out-of-date, unnecessary and costly system.

This year the commissioners had the opportunity to make a decision that truly would have benefited the taxpayers but, like their predecessors, they chose to botch it.

At the same time, Controller Jack McMillin, the county's fiscal watchdog who is so adept at keeping an eye on county spending, also took a less-than-laudable approach to the tax-collection issue, saying that he didn't have an opinion on the tax card rate.

He should have been at the forefront in urging the commissioners to act on behalf of additional savings.

If his career continues in its upward path, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes will have plenty of additional items to add to his personal trophy case. The gloves he was wearing when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII last weekend would have been a splendid addition to that case.But, rather than keeping those gloves, Holmes will donate the gloves to charity. The gloves are being auctioned off, with all proceeds benefiting the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.Holmes' 6-year-old son, Santonio III, suffers from the blood disease.The auction began Thursday and will continue through Feb. 15 at Reebok's Web site.Reebok made the gloves.Not only will the auction be a financial boost to the Sickle Cell Disease Association, it also will increase awareness concerning the disease — which could help generate more contributions.Holmes was a hero in bringing a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy to Pittsburgh. He also can be judged a hero for donating the gloves, which are part of an important moment in Steelers and National Football League history, on behalf of such a worthy cause.

The term "asleep at the switch" certainly applies to New Castle officials for failing to notice that significant sums of parking meter revenue routinely were missing during the years 2006 and 2007.Even the most inexperienced city official should have noticed that $71 in meter receipts for the entire year 2006 and $271 for 2007 was inconsistent with the number of meters in the city.Gary Stone Jr., the former head of New Castle's parking authority, is charged with stealing at least $101,156 during the two years in question. City officials couldn't ignore the probability that thefts had occurred when the revenue for 2008 was tallied — $54,078.In 2008, the job of collecting coins from the city's meters was given to the city police after New Castle laid off Stone to save money.That year, the city was declared financially distressed under state Act 47.When they laid off Stone, little did city officials know just how much money the community would save by way of Stone's departure.New Castle's leaders cannot be excused for their lack of vigilance. Meanwhile, in Butler, whose parking meter revenue is reaching the designated coffers, it can be said that officials nonetheless merit a jeer for failure to implement an ordinance approved several years ago.That ordinance stipulates that parking meters are to be returned to Main Street, but the current city council has ignored it — and, thus, this city continues to lose money from that source of parking revenue.There's no excuse for New Castle's situation and there's no excuse for Butler officials to pass ordinances if there's no intent to implement them.If Butler officials have forgotten about the ordinance in question, they too are asleep at the switch.