In Pennsylvania, county helping with MHMR funding as state money dwindles

From the Altoona Mirror:

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. - The lack of a state budget is creating "chaos," if not a "crisis" in many areas of county government, but so far, county services remain substantially intact, Blair County Commissioner Donna D. Gority said August 4.

Gority said there is a trickle-down effect that is occurring locally because many agencies and services associated with the county have not received their normal state funding.

She said, for instance, the Blair County Office of Mental Health and Mental Retardation is covering expenses of the county's human services program until state funds arrive.

Some programs that receive state money funneled through the county, such as state-subsidized child care, have not received funds, and these programs will not be helped by a state budget "bridge bill," or a temporary skeleton budget designed specifically to pay state workers.

One of the big problems with county programs that receive state funding soon will be a cash flow crisis, or the lack of money to pay wages and bills, Gority said. She repeatedly said during Tuesday's commissioners meeting that a lack of a state budget "is just creating chaos."

One of the agencies feeling the pinch is Blair County Children and Youth Services, which annually provides help for hundreds of dependent, neglected and abused children in the county.

The state provides 80 percent or more for child welfare services, but, as executive director Maryanne Burger said Tuesday, her agency didn't get its normal financial advance for the next quarter of the budget year.

In addition, Burger and her staff are required to prepare an annual spending plan for children and youth services. The plan has to be submitted to the state Aug. 15.

The agency has been advised to prepare the plan, knowing that it will probably have to be amended after the General Assembly and the Governor come to an agreement on a 2009-10 budget.

Burger said her agency will be holding a public hearing on her proposed budget Monday.

In the spirit of the times, her proposed spending plan will be less for the next fiscal year than the last fiscal year. The budget she will present Monday will be $12,463,338 - less than the 2008-09 spending plan of $12,730,872.

The fact the money is less does not portend dramatic cuts in services, Burger said.

During the last several years, her agency has instituted many programs, such as a foster care effort that keeps children out of institutions.

The state reimburses Blair County more than 90 percent of the foster care program and other so-called "blueprint" programs, which are proven, state-recognized programs that receive extra funding. The use of the programs has helped the county reduce spending but not services, Burger said.

For the moment, Burger said her agency is able to maintain its services, knowing there could be trouble ahead until a state budget is passed.

She is expecting child welfare spending at the state level to end up losing $10 million statewide or more from last year's allocation. She's philosophical in her outlook, adding, "Any money you don't get, you can't spend."

"We're really keeping an eye on things," she said.

Gority noted that some initiatives instituted by former Gov. Tom Ridge to stem juvenile crime are in danger of losing money.

For instance, a victim-witness coordinator in the Juvenile Parole and Probation Office had to be laid off as of July 1 because of the lack of funding, Gority said.