Due to new state regulations, Butler County Children and Youth Services is expected to have a larger caseload next year requiring a staff increase.

The county salary board on Wednesday approved the creation of a new caseworker manager post to help coordinate the agency’s efforts to meet the new requirements.

The post’s salary of $27.75 an hour will be paid from the amount budgeted for a vacant post in the agency.

Charles Johns, assistant CYS director, said the new regulations — the Child Protective Legislation Amendments — expand the definition of child abuse and perpetrator.

“It lowers the abuse threshold,” Johns said.

He said the county’s current 50 to 70 cases a month would rise to 70 to 90 cases next year.

The county devised the projections after researching multiple cases initiated during the 2013-14 fiscal year.

Johns said the new laws require investigations under some circumstances that are not mandated currently.

He said those anticipated increases don’t factor in child neglect cases, which also are handled by CYS.

The regulations, which were recommended by a governor-appointed task force in response to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal at Penn State, were enacted as 20 separate pieces of legislation.

Gov. Tom Corbett signed the amendments into law December 2013.

According to Johns, the goals of the new regulations include strengthening the ability of government to protect children from abuse, streamlining the mandatory child abuse reporting process, increasing penalties for failure to report abuse.

Johns said the new laws also require faster response times to reported abuse.

Along with adding the casework manager, the agency will reorganize to prepare for changes.

Johns said there is no state funding available to hire new staff until November 2015, when CYS would request two additional caseworkers jobs be created.

“Our planned response is conservative,” he said.

Beaver County, which has 38 caseworkers compared to Butler’s 27, is seeking the additions of a nurse, two casework supervisors and three caseworkers.

Beaver has a population of 170,539, down from Butler’s roughly 185,000.

Butler County Commissioner Bill McCarrier, salary board chairman, agreed CYS’ request was reasonable.

“Beaver, which has a lower population, has 10 more caseworkers,” McCarrier said. “Our department is running lean and mean.”

Washington County, which has 44 caseworkers with a population of 207,820, is considering hiring 10 new caseworkers and a new supervisor.

Commissioners Dale Pinkerton and Jim Eckstein also supported the job creation.

“This is really a big issue,” Eckstein said about child abuse.

Although county Controller Ben Holland was absent from the meeting, he expressed support for the job in an internal e-mail.

But Holland also wanted the salary board to table the vote until he was present and public input could be sought.

“I hope to have the opportunity to vote on this issue after the public has had the chance to make their voices heard,” Holland wrote.

He also accused the salary board of rushing through votes.

“It is my opinion that several salary board items have been rushed and quickly pushed through for passage,” Holland wrote.

McCarrier disagreed.

“That’s not true at all,” he said in an interview.

McCarrier said CYS previously explained the need for the additional post, so there was no point in delaying a vote.

“It’s not being rushed through,” he said.

Pinkerton also refuted Holland’s claim.

However, Eckstein concurred with Holland despite voting to add the job.

“It should have been tabled and I don’t know why it wasn’t,” Eckstein said.