Butler County residents won't be digging deeper into their pockets next year. The 2010 proposed budget of $177 million does not include a property tax hike.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, said after today's meeting reducing the county's pension fund contribution and housing state inmates helped stave off a tax hike in 2010.

"Without those two things, we would have raised taxes," he said.

The county retirement board last week took advantage of a new state law by using a different formula to calculate the contribution into the pension fund.

As the county still must maintain a surplus in the fund, there will be no impact to retirees' pension checks.

The county is working on a contract with the state Department of Corrections to bring state inmates into the South Washington Street prison.

The county proposes a daily rate of $60 per state inmate.

Although the 2010 budget is nearly $8.4 million lower than this year's $186 million, the decrease doesn't affect the tax rate, which stays at 23.6 mills.