Although the Butler County commissioners decided not to open the 2016 county budget and change the property tax rate, they will work to cut spending by $5 million this year.

“We’re still on the same path,” said Commissioner Leslie Osche, board chairman.

Taking office Jan. 4, Osche and other commissioners Kim Geyer and Kevin Boozel inherited a $150.7 million budget passed by the previous commissioners.

On Jan. 20, they announced that they would not seek to modify the budget because the revenue projections were too tight to make major changes.

But Geyer said just because the commissioners will not officially reopen the budget does not mean they cannot work to cut expenses throughout the year.

“It’s a working document,” Geyer said. “Nothing is off the table. We’re talking about everything.”

Osche said personnel is the county’s biggest cost, so it makes sense to look at it first.

In advance of any changes to rein in spending, the commissioners will meet Monday with row officers and department heads. The meetings will not be public.

Osche said the meetings will be an official introduction of the commissioners to those employees and will allow the commissioners to discuss their goals and methods of making budget cuts.

Geyer said the meetings will have discussions related to topics such as personnel. She said no voting or decision-making will take place at the meetings, saying they will be “strictly informational.”

Boozel said the commissioners want the employees to make suggestions at the meeting and later.

“We want them to be partners in this process,” Boozel said.