By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HAMILTON - Butler County's financial future looks a little better with the Ohio House's approval this week of a budget that avoids deeper funding cuts to counties.

The House's action caused county commissioners Thursday to back off somewhat from talk of raising the county sales tax.

Commissioner Courtney Combs described the chances of a county sales-tax increase as "diminished."

The need for a county sales-tax rise would drop even more if a House-backed temporary penny state sales-tax increase passes.

Butler will have a better idea of its financial prognosis after the Ohio Senate acts on the proposed state budget, which would retain a $250,000, or 3 percent, cut in Butler's local government fund for this year and next year.

State lawmakers had discussed a more drastic cutback or eliminating the fund completely.

In recent weeks, commissioners had been discussing the possibility of enacting an emergency sales-tax increase. The increase could be as little as a quarter-percent and as much as 1 percent.

Butler has a sales tax of 5.5 percent, a half-percent lower than those in Hamilton, Warren and Clermont counties.

An emergency sales-tax increase would take effect immediately. But it could be overturned by a referendum in the November election.

If commissioners approved the tax hike in July and it were repealed in November, the county still would collect about $7 million.

"Our budget situation is still difficult and tight," Combs said. "But it will be much easier with the local government funds."

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com