The Butler County commissioners on Wednesday approved a contract with Automated Card Systems to provide preventive maintenance for employees’ new identification badges.

The badges will give employees access to the government center and the courthouse.

Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe said the new badges, which will consolidate a person’s identification with the electronic access card, should be available by the end of the year.

Employees and officials currently use two cards, one for identification and one to gain entry through the locked entrance doors.

Slupe said in an interview no changes would have to be made to the devices that the cards are swiped through.

He said the change would make the security process more efficient.

Gas rate set

The commissioners approved a contract with PA Gas Marketing to buy natural gas at a price of $4.18 per 1,000 cubic feet in 2014.

Although the rate is an increase from the $4 paid this year, officials want to lock in the price in case rates would keep rising.

Prison rate OK’d

The commissioners approved a contract with the state Department of Corrections and the state Board of Probation and Parole to house state inmates who are technical parole violators for a rate of $70 a prisoner per day.

Examples of technical parole violations are breaking curfew or failing a drug test.

State grant sought

The commissioners adopted a resolution to apply for a $28,420 state grant to update the county comprehensive plan.

The county would have to match half of the total Department of Community and Economic Development grant, $15,000 in money and $13,820 of in-kind services, which could include labor.