One area lawmaker voted against a bill authorizing a fourth Common Pleas judge for Mercer County, saying he did not agree with his fellow lawmakers or local officials who say the county needs another job.

State Rep. Rod Wilt, Sugar Grove Township, R-17th District, said he received a letter in support of the measure from the county commissioners, but decided to vote "no" on the bill, which passed 178-18 in the state House and 36-11 in the Senate.

The cost of adding a justice, Wilt said, did not make sense to him. He said there were other issues in Mercer County that needed to be dealt with first. He also cited the decline in Mercer County's low crime rate and the stagnant population as reasons for his "no" vote.