ALFRED – The York County Commissioners have approved a $19.3 million annual budget.

The 2008 budget, approved on a 4-1 vote Wednesday, comes in the wake of a budget crisis last year that required strict belt-tightening at most county departments.

The new budget iw up about 3 percent from the 2007 budget of $18.7 million.

Towns in the county were assessed $14.5 million for county operations.

The largest item in the 2008 budget is the $7.9 million to operate the county jail. The Sheriff’s Department is budgeted for $2.6 million.

In one change from last year, the county has eliminated York County Communications and now pays Sanford to provide dispatch services.

In 2007, county officials realized they had an unexpected deficit of $1.2 million. Since then, several management changes have taken place, audits have been completed and accounting practices overhauled.