Whatever decision the Butler County commissioners make regarding a reduction in the annual cost-of-living allowance for county elected officials, they won’t have to weigh taxpayers’ input.

No residents attended a public hearing on the issue Wednesday night, and no residents sent the county any e-mails or letters on the topic.

The commissioners previously said they were considering a reduction in the COLA.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier said a decision has to be made before the November election so it will take effect for officials with new terms beginning in 2014.

Those seven posts, which include county sheriff and controller, were paid this year under a prior COLA setting a 4 percent increase.

Another seven posts, including the commissioners, were paid under the current COLA, which follows the Pittsburgh Consumer Price Index.

For 2013, that index set the COLA for those officials at 3.5 percent.

McCarrier and Commissioner Dale Pinkerton did not take any COLA for this year while Commissioner Jim Eckstein accepted a 2 percent pay hike to match what nonunion employees were given.

A new COLA would impact the latter group of officials in their next term, which starts in 2016.

Sheriff Mike Slupe was the only row officer who attended the hearing, and he did not speak.

Slupe said in an interview he does not oppose a reduction in his COLA.

“I’m happy with my current salary,” he said. “Obviously, I’ll support whatever the commissioners do. They have a tough decision to make considering what is going on in the world.”

The county COLA does not impact the salary of the district attorney, whose salary is set by the state even though the county pays it.

County judges are state employees.