The Butler County commissioners on Wednesday continued debating whether to share the county’s natural gas drilling impact fee money with municipalities.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein, who is the sole board member supporting some money being distributed to municipalities instead of being spent only on county needs, accused his colleagues of not wanting to help boroughs and townships with their needs.

“We control our kingdom, and we don’t want to share,” he said at the commissioners meeting.

Eckstein said state legislators expect counties to share some of their impact fee revenue for municipal needs.

He claimed the other two commissioners are skirting around state law in spending the money.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, denied the county is misusing money the state collects from drilling companies.

“Once again, you distort the facts,” McCarrier said.

He previously said the county may be able to give some impact money to municipalities, which receive their own impact fee money, in the future.

However, McCarrier stressed county needs come first. Eckstein said in an interview the county can meets its needs and help municipalities.

Counties and municipalities may apply impact fee revenue to categories such as infrastructure, public safety, environmental programs, affordable housing, records management, delivery of social services and judicial services.

The county received $1 million from the state for its 2012 impact fee allotment and $1.5 million for 2013.

Eckstein wanted to devote 15 percent of the $1.5 million, or $225,000, to municipal uses.

Impact fee money is given only to places where drilling occurs.

Eckstein also mentioned the revenue from the state’s Marcellus Shale Legacy Fund giving the county sufficient leeway to share some of its money.

The county received $154,791 in Legacy Fund money for 2012 and $177,250 for 2013.

Unlike impact fee funding, Legacy money goes to all counties and municipalities.