$9.7 million was also separately approved for roadwork, courthouse renovations and other projects.
Warren County taxes will remain unchanged under the $102.6 million budget approved Wednesday by freeholders -- the county's lowest in 10 years.
The 2016 spending plan benefited from last year's $15.6 million sale of the county-owned Warren Haven nursing home, which budget documents indicate ran a $3.7 million deficit in 2015.
Officials are using money from the sale to replenish the surplus and pay for deferred capital projects, according to the budget's introductory statement. More than $9 million was set aside in a separate ordinance Wednesday for projects including roadwork and county courthouse improvements.
Both measures passed with unanimous votes from the three-member freeholder board.
"The freeholders were very pleased with this year's budget," Freeholder Director Jason Sarnoski said Thursday. "It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and tough decisions over the last few years to get to this point."
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Overall, the budget reduces spending by $8 million from 2015 and keeps the amount to be raised by taxes at $78.8 million, the same as last year.
It is the county's lowest spending plan since 2006, when the budget was $97.9 million, according to county data.
The $9.7 million capital improvement ordinance also approved Wednesday includes $4.4 million for annual road and bridge work; $2 million for renovations to the Warren County Court House; and $1 million for work on other county buildings.
Other various expenses including voting machine replacements and campus improvements at Warren County Community College and Warren County Technical School.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.