Flush with funds generated by an all-time high in tax revenue, the Allegheny Regional Asset District board last night approved a $78.2 million budget for 2007.

"This year's going to be a record year. We'll have our highest revenue ever," said Executive Director David Donahoe. "We've had a period when the revenue was flat. But there appears to have been some growth [this year], and the board decided that it was time to make some additional investments."

The spending plan, which supports 87 civic, cultural and recreational groups and facilities in Allegheny County, is $3.6 million more than was budgeted in 2006 and $1.2 million higher than the preliminary 2007 budget laid out just last month.

The bulk of the funding for the 13-year-old asset district comes from half of the 1 percent county sales tax.

"I think it's interesting that our revenues are up," board Chairman Rick Pierchalski said. "People must be buying a lot of flat-screen TVs."

Part of the extra money, Mr. Donahoe said, will be $800,000 in one-time grants for projects ranging from accessibility enhancements to facility repairs and equipment replacements.

Board members decided the fairest way to spread the rest of the wealth was to continue to fund most regional assets at the same percentage of funding they were to get in the preliminary budget. The county's libraries will receive 32 percent; parks and green-space projects will get 28 percent; and facilities such as the National Aviary, the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center will receive 11 percent.

The arts and culture programs will get 10 percent -- a 1 percent boost from the preliminary budget -- while support for Heinz Field, PNC Park and Mellon Arena will remain more level, meaning a drop of 1 percent from the preliminary budget.

The budget included $2 million for the convention center, marking the first time that it would receive money from the asset district. In August, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and then-Mayor Bob O'Connor, through the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority, requested the money to cover the convention center deficit in 2007.

The request replaced the authority's initial application for up to $1 million to make repairs to aging Mellon Arena.

The one sticking point encountered last night was a call for a consultant to conduct a "performance audit" of the Allegheny County Library Association, which receives more than $7 million from the asset district to support 45 community libraries outside of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh system.

There has been continuing disagreement among the ACLA members on how best to distribute the funds. The current formula has been in place for five years, but this year's decision among those members came down to a contentious 20-19 vote.

"Hopefully, fresh eyes will assist the association in arriving at a process and proposal with a stronger consensus among its members," said asset district board member Connie Yarris.

The asset district board will have to approve the hiring of the consultant and will pay for it. An original proposal last night would have had ACLA the library association pay for the consultant out of an extra $37, 000 it was budgeted to receive.