Karns City votes for vo-tech budgetKARNS CITY — The Karns City School Board has approved the Butler County Vocational-Technical School’s budget for the 2016-17 school year.The board on March 14 approved spending $363,963 for its share in the upcoming year, which is an increase of more than $6,000.The vo-tech budget is $5 million, a 2.9 percent increase from this year’s budget, according to Kurt Speicher, executive director of the vo-tech. The majority of the budget, 76 percent, is for salaries and benefit payments.For the budget to pass, it must be approved by five of the seven school districts that send students to the vo-tech. In addition, each of the members of the seven school boards vote individually.The Karns City board also approved its portion of the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV’s 2016-17 budget, $13,682, which is the same cost as this year.

Street won’t close for summer plazaButler Downtown will not ask that a portion of West New Castle Street be closed this summer for a plaza.According to Tom Graham, the group’s president, it “isn’t worth it” to take away from the city the revenue from parking meters in the plaza and to shut down the street for 12 events during the summer.However, Graham did say that Butler Downtown will request to reserve the plaza, with notice, for some of its summer events.Events planned include the Spring Fling on April 14, the Big Spring Clean April 23, which is around the city starting at the parking lot across from the Burger Hut on North Main Street, and the opening of the annual Farmer’s Market.