Butler County commissioners have approved a reorganization of the county's property and revenue office that will result in higher salaries for some people but an overall savings of about $40,000.

Director Ed Rupert asked that the position of deputy director be eliminated and replaced with an office manager, shifting the salary from $21.26 an hour to $16.50 an hour. The previous deputy director is no longer employed in the office. The office manager is already on the payroll.

Also, the post of chief mapper was changed to geographic information systems supervisor and the salary was raised from $17.43 an hour to $20 an hour. In the assessment area of the office, a field appraiser post paying $19.25 an hour was eliminated and the position of assistant chief assessor was created at a salary of $20 an hour. A mapper post was eliminated, creating a position of GIS mapper and increasing the salary for that employee to $17.53 from $15.91 an hour. In each of these instances, existing employees realized salary increases, prompting Commissioner James Kennedy to vote against the reorganization.

Mr. Kennedy said he is against "escalating union wages" beyond what is called for in negotiated labor contracts, even though the raises in question relate to a recategorization of the employee's position.

Commissioners Glenn Anderson and Scott Lowe voted in favor, as did Controller Jack McMillin, though Mr. McMillin reiterated a point he has made in the past that a study of all county salaries should be undertaken to be certain that positions are being paid appropriate salaries. He said he believes that a couple of people in his office should be earning wages higher than called for in the union contract.

Mr. Rupert said his office reorganization more accurately reflects the work that is being done, now that the county's properties are reflected in digital mapping. Rather than using paper maps, properties can be reviewed on an office computer. He hopes that sometime next year or soon afterward, the information can be pulled up from a county Web site on the Internet.

The clerk position that was eliminated had gone unfilled for a year.

In another matter, the county agreed to purchase a $133,000 computer software system for the county's retirement system to replace a 15-year-old software program that was designed in-house. The new system, from Tyler Technologies of Falmouth, Maine, will be more accurate and faster, said information technology director Robert Moyer.

Also, seven bale choppers purchased with a state grant soon will be available for lease by area farmers. The county paid $3,424 each for the shredders that can be used by farmers to shred newspapers to use as stable bedding. Waste and Recycling Director Sheryl Kelley said there will be a leasing fee but she hasn't set it yet. The grant came from the state Department of Environmental Resources.