Residents won't see a Butler County tax increase in 2019.

The commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a preliminary 2019 budget of $65.2 million.

The new budget reflects only a slight spending increase of 1.7 percent, or $753,326, over the current budget of $64.5 million.

The 2019 fund balance is projected to increase from the current $3.5 million to $4.2 million.

The property tax rate will remain at 27.626 mills. A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.

The largest operating expense for the county continues to be the Butler County Prison, at $12.4 million, followed by court administration and related offices at $8 million.

The line item for debt service in the 2019 tentative budget is down from last year due to the payoff this year of a 2006 bond, but payment on the principal for a 2014 bond issue has increased 30.6 percent, from $2.3 million to $3 million.

The 2006 bond payoff plus other decreases in debt service related to bond issues has allowed the total debt service to decrease by $3,748 in the preliminary 2019 budget.

Of the contributions made to other organizations by the county, Butler County Community College's is the largest at $5.2 million.

The county will contribute about $80,600 more next year to BC3 than it did this year.

The Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport will also receive an increased contribution, having not seen an increase since the 1990s.

The airport authority will receive $155,000 from the county next year, compared to the $80,000 it has received for many years.

Chairman Leslie Osche said the increased contribution to the airport aligns with the commissioners' focus on improving transportation and infrastructure.

“(The increased contribution) allows them to pursue additional grant funding and have matching funds available,” Osche said.

The commissioners said the purchase of a new election system was excluded from the budget because the state is still in flux regarding the certification of election equipment vendors.

Commissioner Kim Geyer said only one vendor has been certified by the state, and the commissioners have their eye on another vendor that is awaiting state certification.

Osche said the county has funds in the capital budget plus some Act 13 shale gas funds that could pay for the election equipment, which the commissioners hope to have in place before the 2020 presidential election.

Osche praised the county row officers and department heads for providing realistic and timely information during budget season.

“This was the first budget process where I felt like we had all the right numbers in front of us,” she said. “We can make decisions based on accurate numbers.”

The commissioners are expected to vote on a final version of the 2019 budget at their Dec. 27 meeting.