Budget stalls; payroll dwindles

LAWRENCE COUNTY

Only one of the three county commissioners attended a conference at Seven Springs.

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — If the state budget stalemate continues, Lawrence County could make payroll only until Thanksgiving.

And, County Controller David Gettings told county commissioners, that’s “as long as we don’t spend more than we take in.”

But he added it is by no means certain that the county can reach the holiday without layoffs or other drastic measures because there’s no way to tell how much money the county will take in. Property taxes are the county’s main source of revenue, and Gettings said the county is now in the penalty phase of the tax collection, meaning that property owners paying their taxes now will be subject to late-payment penalties.

He told commissioners at their caucus meeting Thursday that over the next two weeks, he will prioritize payroll, contracts and utility payments, holding back on other nonessential items. Vendors will be notified that their bills may not be paid for a while.

The state’s failure to pass a budget yet causes the county problems because many employees receive their paychecks from the county but their wages are partly paid by the state. The county is then usually reimbursed for the state portion. These employees include those working for Children and Youth Services, Mental Health/Retardation, Juvenile and Adult Probation, Domestic Relations and court offices.

The failure of the state to pass a budget by the July 1 start of the fiscal year was a major topic of discussion at the County Commissioners’ Association of Pennsylvania meeting that took place last weekend in Seven Springs, according to County Commissioner Daniel Vogler. He said indications are that the budget will not be passed any time soon, maybe not for months.

“There doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel,” Commissioner Richard DeBlasio commented.

The commissioners association unanimously passed a motion calling on every member of the General Assembly to press the leadership for a “prompt and fair” conclusion to the Commonwealth budget impasse. James Kennedy, a Butler County commissioner who is current association president, said that commissioners from around the state are warning that a total collapse in human service and county delivery systems appears to be imminent, Vogler reported.

Vogler blamed both parties for the impasse and pointed out that legislators are getting paid even though they are not doing their jobs. He pointed out that all three Pennsylvania counties that border Lawrence — Mercer, Butler and Beaver — have imposed layoffs to deal with the financial situation. Lawrence County has thus far only tried to cut personnel costs by passing legislation to allow employees to take voluntary unpaid leave.

Vogler said that because of the budgetary concerns, Commissioner Steve Craig is the only representative of Lawrence County who attended the entire commissioners association conference this year. Usually, he said all three commissioners and County Administrator/Chief Clerk Jim Gagliano attend the conference. Vogler said he drove down for one day’s session.