The Butler County commissioners on Thursday abolished the two jury commissioner posts.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said he switched his stance from a vote in November to streamline government.

“In county government, we’re always trying to make it more efficient,” McCarrier said.

Jury commissioners select random lists of prospective jurors to serve at trials.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton made the motion, reiterating county court staff can absorb the workload.

“I feel what I propose here is the right thing,” Pinkerton said.

He said cutting costs across various departments has a cumulative effect on the bottom line.

For 2013, the salaries and benefits of the jury commissioners is budgeted at roughly $71,000.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein did not attend the meeting. He was in Harrisburg for a conference.

McCarrier said the board would not grant Eckstein’s request to table the vote until the next meeting.

“It should be dealt with today,” McCarrier said.

Eckstein said in an interview he was not surprised his colleagues refused to honor his request to delay a vote.

“I expected them to do it anyway,” he said.

Eckstein chided his colleagues for cutting the posts.

“To me, it’s unconscionable,” he said.

Eckstein said he would have opposed the move if he had been present.

He compared the situation to Butler County court overriding a voters referendum in Center Township to reduce supervisor posts. The court ruled against removing elected officials before the end of their terms without cause or due process.

Eckstein said the elimination wrongs the voters who supported the jury commissioner candidates in Tuesday’s primary and the candidates, who spent money on their campaigns.

He predicted the cost difference between having jury commissioners and using court staff to do the work would be negligible.

Jury Commissioner Clinton Bonetti unsuccessfully lobbied McCarrier and Pinkerton to defer a vote.

He pointed out the state law allowing county commissioners to eliminate jury commissioners is being challenged in state court, where an injunction request has been filed with Commonwealth Court.

“I would caution a vote today,” Bonetti said.

Fellow Jury Commissioner Jon Galante questioned the projected savings cutting the jobs would have because no one can predict how many jurors would be needed in the future.

“There is no way to say whether this is actually a cost-saving move because it could turn into an increase in spending down the road,” Galante said.

Larry Thompson, former jury commissioner and current president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Jury Commissioners, protested McCarrier and Pinkerton’s action as unconstitutional.

“You have nullified an election,” Thompson said.

He said after the meeting the commissioners should have tabled the vote.

“They should have waited,” Thompson said.

Bonetti said the decision seemed to have been made before he even spoke at the meeting.

“It appeared they had their minds made up,” he said.

Galante said the jury commissioner posts were targeted for elimination without due consideration of all the factors.

“This has turned into a witch hunt,” he said.