MORE: Butler County officials balk at tax hike to buy new emergency radios
The local police and fire jurisdictions are on the hook for their own radios. The breakdown is it will cost around $6.7 million to upgrade the system — all on the county’s dime — and $12.5 million for the radios. The sheriff’s share of those is about $3.5 million.
Some have suggested a temporary sales tax.
Commissioners T.C. Rogers and Don Dixon have both said no.
“We’re not planning on borrowing money, we do have reserves…,” Rogers said. “We’re not planning on borrowing and we’re not planning on raising taxes.”
RELATED: Butler County 2018 budget called a challenge
The commissioners back in 2005 put on a .50 temporary sales tax to pay for the entire system and the 800 MHz system went into operation at the end of 2008.
The county is expecting to have almost $34 million in cash reserves at the end of 2018 and there is about $6 million in the rainy day fund. A couple years ago the commissioners embarked on a debt reduction acceleration plan. The debt that stood at $91.3 million in 2009, was scheduled to be $43 million at the end of last year and zero by 2020.
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