Orange County commissioners voted Tuesday night to approve the budget for fiscal year 2009-2010.

The budget for the upcoming year is $177.6 million, a decrease of $5.5 million from 2008-2009.

County departments and the two school districts were hit hard. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District and Orange County Schools will receive $2 million less from the county. Both districts will have to eliminate or combine some under-enrolled courses. CHCCS will have to eliminate nearly 50 teaching positions.

The libraries gained some additional funding after the county was able to make cuts in other areas to keep two of the libraries open while the new main library opens in Hillsborough.

For homeowners, the tax rate in the approved budget has decreased to 85.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The rate produces the same amount of property tax levy as budget in the current year, which is 99.8 cents per $100 assessed valuation. One cent on property tax is estimated to generate $1,505,352. According to the budget information posted online, the average home revaluation increased 24 percent. That means a house assessed at $298,840 after the revaluation will pay $2,564 in county taxes, a $159 increase.

In addition, furloughs for county employees would only be used in an economic crisis and would have to go through special approval before being implemented.