Butler County has allocated most of the nearly $1.6 million in natural gas drilling impact fee money for emergency services needs.

County Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said impact fee revenue is meant to be spent on items that help the most people.

“That’s going to benefit the entire county,” McCarrier said.

The largest portion of the $1.4 million allotted to emergency services, more than $1 million, will go to the capital reserve fund with the intent to use it for a pending 911 radio equipment upgrade.

Another $240,000 is set aside for the emergency services budget. The remaining $77,000 goes to the 2016 salary and benefits of the department’s emergency planner post.

County Human Services is allotted $60,000 to partially fund a new program to help disabled or disadvantaged people acquire jobs. The Butler County Community College fire school receives $65,000.

The county drug court receives $50,000 to offset the wages of probation officers assigned to those cases.

The county commissioners approved the recommended allocations by individually signing off on them.

McCarrier and Commissioner Dale Pinkerton gave their support. Commissioner Jim Eckstein rejected the list. Eckstein said the problem is not what is on the list, but that there is funding for those items.

“They’re already budgeted for by the general fund,” he said.

Eckstein claimed the county is creating a slush fund by designating the impact fee money to budgeted items. He expressed concern that the county would squander the money freed up in the general fund.

“I’m scared as hell,” Eckstein said.

County Chief Clerk Amy Wilson said the money goes to items designated by the commissioners.

“The impact fee funds are allocated according to how a majority of the board of commissioners wants them allocated,” Wilson said.

McCarrier said there is nothing wrong with doling out impact fee money for items covered in the budget.

He pointed out the county maintains reserves.

“It’s not a slush fund,” McCarrier said. “He has no idea what he’s talking about.”

The commissioners still must ratify the allocations at a public meeting, so a majority of the board still could change the allocations.

Eckstein on Monday accused his colleagues and the county administration of attempting to hold a private meeting about the allocations, which he said would have violated state law. McCarrier maintains that the meeting, if it had been held April 9 as scheduled, would not have been illegal because it was intended to be informational and not include deliberations on what to do.

He said the meeting was canceled because Eckstein would not respond when asked if he was recording it.

Eckstein also accused the board of meeting illegally last year to discuss the previous allocations. McCarrier denied Eckstein’s claim, saying that meeting was strictly informational.