ADAMS TWP — Kim Geyer says she been fortunate to have developed skills to be successful in the private sector and to have volunteered in community groups and her church.

“I want to build on those experiences and use those skills ... to advance Butler County forward,” said Geyer, 53, of Adams Township.

Republican Geyer is one of the five candidates running for one of the three county commissioner seats. The others are Republican Leslie Osche, Democrats Jerry Johnston and Kevin Boozel, and the Green Party's Michael Bagdes-Canning. The election is Nov. 3.

The current commissioners — Bill McCarrier, Dale Pinkerton and Jim Eckstein — are not on the ballot.

A close-up view

Geyer is co-owner of Geyer Construction and a former Mars School Board member. Since 2012, she has worked in Commissioner Bill McCarrier's office. She said that has given her an advantage of knowing what commissioners do and how they do it.

“I've had a very up-front and close perspective of being able to see what's effective in county government and what is not,” Geyer said.

She said she is the most qualified candidate because over the past four years at the county building, she has done research on different issues and has gone to Harrisburg to advocate for the county. For example, in 2012 she advocated against a legislative redistricting move that would have split up the county's state senatorial districts.

Budget a priority

If elected, she said her first priority would be working on the budget.

That will entail doing a budget analysis and looking for ways to identify efficiencies and inefficiencies and looking for areas where they could put less burden on taxpayers.

Geyer said a priority would be to make systematic changes in the formatting of the budget, making it easier to use and understand for residents and county employees.

She said she would not seek a tax increase until actions such as budget cuts and hiring freezes are exhausted.

“I think the only time you could go to the taxpayers and ask for a tax increase would be in the event you have exhausted every possible option to reduce taxes,” Geyer said. “That is always the last resort. That is always what I did when I was on the Mars School Board.”

She said one year the school board decreased its budget by $5 million to avoid a tax increase. She said the board was able to maintain the quality of the curriculum while doing this.

Geyer said she plans to get spending under control no matter what the outcome of this year's budget is. She said this could include actions such as hiring freezes and being more conservative when it comes to giving out raises.

“It's going to be a multipronged approach as far as addressing the budget,” Geyer said. “We need to be analyzing things now.”

One issue the next commissioners will have to deal with is the government-mandated upgrades to the county's 911 radio system, which could cost up to $13 million.

Geyer said the county has to examine how the change would take place and how other places have handled it. She said an audit of Motorola has shown there is some question whether the current radios will become obsolete in 2018 as has been thought.

“If we can determine that that's not the case, then we can save money and plan our financing more methodically,” Geyer said.

Transportation needed

She said the commissioners have to address transportation. She added that because of the development in the southern tier of the county, transportation has to be dealt with there first.

For growth to get to the central and northern parts of the county, transportation in the south needs to be improved.

“There's no easy way to get from Butler to Cranberry Township or Pittsburgh. There's just no easy route,” Geyer said.

If roads like Routes 8, 68, and 228 can be made more efficient, Geyer said growth and development will follow north.

She said does not think the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has plans to make those roads limited-access, and she said residents in those areas do not want that. However, she said residents and PennDOT have an interest in creating more traffic rotaries or roundabouts in place of traffic signals and traditional four-way intersections, “which will help with the flow of traffic.”

Strategic development

She said the commissioners can help promote and control economic development with tools like tax incentives, zoning, the county's comprehensive plan, and cooperation with municipalities where development is happening.

She wants more coordinated efforts countywide, making plans more strategic.

“We can start focusing on pockets of blighted areas throughout the county, which in turn helps the city, which in turn helps economic development,” Geyer said.

Geyer said it would be good for the county if it can build a great work force through Butler County Community College and public-private partnerships. She said it would be good to be in a county that has a reputation of developing people who are ready to work.

“Business will naturally come here. People will come from far and wide,” Geyer said.

She said this cannot happen overnight, but it is important to do the work to start it.

“I'm ready for the challenge,” Geyer said.

Drugs also are a concern, and she wants more of a coordinated effort involving the county drug task force to help curb this problem.

“I think rather than us all working in these separate silos, we all need to collaborate,” Geyer said.

With Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center being sold in 2014 and the county's senior centers having their operating hours reduced this year, Geyer said the county still is serving seniors adequately, but some things may have to change.

She said seniors are more active than in the past, and they may need different services or programs.

“We need to adapt to them,” she said.

A team builder

Geyer said she will not have a problem getting along with the other two commissioners as well as county department heads, row officers and employees.

“I've never had a problem getting along with other people, even people who have different viewpoints and perspectives,” Geyer said.

Since all three commissioners will be new, it is going to be an interesting time for the county, she said. But she noted that she is in county government now, and can provide stability to the other two new commissioners.

“Before you can even begin the big platform issues that you want to address, there's the daily business that takes place in the commissioner's office,” Geyer said. “It is important to have someone there who knows what the procedures are, what are the protocols, why we do things the way do.”

If elected, she said she would be able to do that.

“I'm very much a team-building person,” she said.