Aug 19, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners are preparing to use Act 13 drilling impact fee money as a stop-gap measure for the county’s human services department as the state budget impasse continues with no resolution in sight.

The commissioners are expected to vote this morning to use the allotment for any shortfalls until the state budget is passed and reimbursements can be sent to human services.

“It’s going to be (critical),” Commission President Chuck Morris said of the temporary loan.

Human Services Director Karen Bennett said last month the key date for reimbursements would start today as provider invoice bills from July begin trickling in for payment. The department is most affected by the budget stalemate because of the amount of money it receives from state aid.

“It’s going to be fluid over the next few months,” Bennett said of how much money the department might need from the impact fee loan.

She said her department is working with county officials to begin transferring money as they make changes to tighten its budget and limit travel and expenses. Bennett does not expect most people will notice changes to service, but there might be a “trickle down effect” to service providers.

“Right now, it’s not going to affect (the average person) unless it goes on for another six months,” Bennett said. “At the end of the day, if we don’t have staff, then we don’t meet regulations and then we’re in trouble.”

She noted that Greene County is in better shape than other counties that do not receive a large share of the drilling impact fee money.

Greene County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall agreed and said they are in a better position than a similar state budget situation five years when they had to request voluntary layoffs at this time of year.

“By this point five years ago, we had voluntary layoffs and started curtailing spending,” Marshall said of the situation without impact money. “We’re tracking every dollar.

However, temporary furloughs could be on the horizon if the stalemate continues for several more months, the commissioners said.

“It seems like if this continues for a couple more months we’ll have to start using (the impact fee money),” Morris said. “If it goes longer than that, we might be trouble.”

The option to use drilling fee money is better than taking a temporary loan that must be paid back before the end of the year, according to Commissioner Archie Trader.

“It’s better for us to use this money now than a loan,” Trader said.

But a loan might be required in the extreme circumstance if the budget negotiations continue into 2016. The Republican-controlled state legislature and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf have been unable to reach an agreement despite state law requiring the budget be passed by June 30.

Trader said county residents should be “putting pressure” on elected state officials to get a deal done, although he expected concerns would increase only if and when temporary layoffs begin.