The Butler County Board of Commissioners proposed a $172.8 million budget Tuesday that does not include a property tax increase.

If approved as presented during the board's meeting, Butler County will see a general fund budget totaling $68,115,795 — an increase of about $3 million over 2019. The total budget of all funds, including the general fund, is seeing an increase of about $5 million to hit a total of $172,854,201.

The property tax rate is planned to remain at 27.626 mills. A mill generates $1 in revenue for each $1,000 of a property's assessed value.

The budget now moves into a period of public advertisement and comment collection. It's scheduled for adoption Dec. 27.

Leslie Osche, chairwoman of the board, said commissioners were happy with how the year's budgeting has played out so far.

“We're pleased with the process, without question,” Osche said.

She noted that this year's budget includes a $1 million contingency fund for emergency costs to the county.

That $1 million says nothing of a spare $6.5 million projected to be reserved in the general fund after all of next year's spending. Commissioners said increasing that reserve is a long-term priority, as the county previously operated with virtually no general fund reserve.

“Keep in mind that as the last board went out, they did a tax increase,” Osche said. “We believe it's a combined effort of that, more diligent budgeting and our use of Marcellus Shale funds in a manner that helps us.”

Within the general fund, the largest source of revenue is property tax, bringing in $38.7 million. That fund's biggest expense is the prison budget.

Money outside the general fund that brings the overall budget's total to $172.8 million comes from funding outside of local property tax dollars, such as federal or state grants.

Comments about the budget can be logged by contacting the commissioners. A full copy of the budget is available online at https://www2.co.butler.pa.us/public/2020Budget.pdf.

Tuesday's meeting opened with speeches from a pair of Butler County residents hoping to inspire countywide action to combat flooding in areas such as Harmony, Evans City and Jackson Township.Josh Meeder, a Harmony resident and owner of The Center of Harmony, called on the board to allocate funding to enforce flood plain management in new developments. He recalled watching floodwaters grow in scope and area over the years, seemingly after direct impacts to flood plains by developments.James Hulings, another Harmony resident, also spoke about flooding issues and asked the board to allocate $1 million to plan and execute a fix.The board addressed the comments in their closing minutes. Mark Gordon, the county director of economic development, said he has been a part of four meetings in the Cranberry area talking about a regional fix to the problems.Board members said they have communicated needs for flood mitigation to the state and that Butler County's issues are widespread throughout the commonwealth. Commissioner Kim Geyer noted record rainfalls in recent years.“The weather patterns have changed,” Geyer said.

The commissioners appointed Vicki Hinterberger to replace Bruce Mazzoni on Butler County Community College's board of trustees. Mazzoni is stepping down after more than 10 years on the board.Hinterberger, president of the Butler County Radio Network, is hoped to bring expertise suited to the college's media and communications programs.

In a presentation of Butler County's proposed 2020 budget, Ann Brown, budget and human services finance director, provided the following breakdown of the general fund expenditures.Public safety28 percentIncludes prison, probation, emergency services and hazmat.Judicial23 percentIncludes courts, district attorney, domestic relations.General government18 percentIncludes commissioners, county controller, treasurer, public defender.Transfers to other funds10 percentHuman services8 percentIncludes veterans and Butler County Community College contributions.Debt services8 percentPayments on interest and principal debts.Miscellaneous expenditures3 percentIncludes utilities.Culture and recreation1 percentIncludes parks and recreation.Conservation and development1 percentIncludes agricultural preservation.