The Butler County commissioners are taking a hard look at the 2016 county budget to see if any changes or savings could be made.

“We’re working on it. It’s a long process,” said Commissioner Leslie Osche, board chairman.

In December, former commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton approved the $150.7 million budget with a 27.6-mill property tax rate. That includes a 3-mill tax increase that was used to plug a $4.4 million deficit. Former commissioner Jim Eckstein voted against the budget.

New commissioners Osche, Kim Geyer and Kevin Boozel were sworn in last week and immediately said they would take a new look at the budget.

Osche said the commissioners are working with controller Ben Holland and treasurer Diane Marburger to get a cash flow report for the past three years.

Following that, she said they will work to get a cash flow projection for this year.

Osche said the commissioners are looking at normalizing payments, looking at ways of making more regular payments on loans and tax anticipation notes. In the past, she said payments were made sporadically.

Additionally, Osche said commissioners will try to confirm revenue amounts and expenses related to staff. She said this will include looking at staff positions that were created some time ago and are budgeted for but were never filled.

Geyer said that as employees retire, the commissioners will re-evaluate the organization of the department in which they worked.

As examples, she noted the county may look at the planning department and at the car pool because the county planning director and the head of the car pool recently retired.

Osche said she anticipates finding “significant opportunities” for savings, but said commissioners still are working with individual departments to identify them.

Boozel said the commissioners are working to “get ahead of the budget,” saying they are “behind the budget” right now.

He noted the county recently made its fourth quarterly payment to the Butler County Community College, which was $1.25 million and was postponed from December to this month.

“They’ve received it,” Boozel said.

The commissioners have 30 days from when they took office to decide to amend the budget, and then they have to advertise their intent 10 days before a vote.