2015 – 2016 COMMONWEALTH BUDGET Media Coverage During the Budget Impasse These links may expire: January 11 Delaware County getting paid for human services and gets good bond rating MEDIA >> Delaware County officials have two things to celebrate. On Thursday, county officials announced Delaware County received $33.6 million in funds from the Pennsylvania Treasury to pay human service providers, following a months-long dearth due to the state budget debacle... - Primos Delaware County Daily and Sunday Times January 8 Berks County starting to see state money Reading, PA Berks County has started to receive some of the state aid that was held up during the extended state budget impasse. Ronald M. Rutkowski, first deputy county controller, told the commissioners during their Thursday meeting that Berks received about $21 million in... - Reading Eagle State funds flowing, Montco cancels loan Montgomery County has canceled a planned $75 million loan and will resume paying human services vendors now that state funds are flowing. The partial spending plan signed by Gov. Wolf on Dec. 30 released crucial funds to schools and counties, but did not address questions of revenue and... - Philadelphia Inquirer Wolf drains farm funds, Cooperative Extension HARRISBURG — Collateral damage from the state’s budget standoff is no longer focused at social welfare groups. Wielding his line-item veto, Gov. Tom Wolf has now taken aim at agriculture programs, including the Cooperative Extension Service, held dear to many... - Sunbury Daily Item Greene County human services starting to receive state fund WAYNESBURG – Much-needed funding is finally trickling into Greene County Human Services Department after Gov. Tom Wolf signed a partial state budget last month, but more problems remain on the horizon. The department has been starved for cash during the state budget impasse... - Washington Observer-Reporter January 6 Money starts flowing from state, but no final deal yet ERIE, Pa. -- State money from the fiscal year that started July 1 is finally starting to flow into Erie County school districts, Erie County government and social-service agencies. But while they are getting much-needed relief, an end to a budget stalemate -- now in its seventh month -- between Gov. Tom Wolf and the... - Erie Times-News January 5 Chester County: No word from state on withheld tax payments due to budget impasse WEST CHESTER >> The decision by the Chester County commissioners last month to stop remitting fees to the state government as a way of protesting the lack of a fully adopted state budget has been met with silence from the state, county officials said Monday.... - Phoenixville News Chesco withholds $2.6M in tax payments during budget impasse WEST CHESTER>> The decision by the Chester County commissioners last month to stop remitting fees to the state government as a way of protesting the lack of a fully adopted state budget has been met with silence from the state, county officials said Monday. “I would have been the first to hear,” said county Recorder of... - Pottstown Mercury January 4 Carbon eager to see state funds Officials want to know how partial budget approval will affect area programs By Chris Reber [email protected] Carbon County officials are eager to see how the portions of the state budget recently approved by Gov. Tom Wolf will affect programs that receive funding from the state.... - Lehighton Times News Dauphin commissioner takes issue with budgeted human services funding The partial budget Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday leaves a lot to be desired for some county governments. Dauphin County commissioner George Hartwick explained why. Without money from the state, counties focus on the things they can control. That’s why Hartwick spent the day at Children and Youth... - Carlisle Sentinel Schools, counties get funding, but state budget stalemate continues Harrisburg, PA Pennsylvania now has a partial budget halfway through its fiscal year. Funding is set to be issued for schools, counties and service agencies. That money has been held up during the six- month impasse, prompting layoffs and service cuts at agencies and threatening to shutter some schools.... - Reading Eagle December 23 Budget delay may affect Tioga County districts’ ability to borrow money December 23, 2015 As the budget stalemate drags on, school districts may end up the big losers because of an unexpected consequence: the lowering of their credit ratings. more »» - Williamsport Sun-Gazette December 21 No state budget prompts Montco to borrow The Montgomery County commissioners last week authorized their administrators to borrow up to $75 million to keep the county financially afloat in the beginning of the year until county tax dollars begin to roll in. They are not happy about this, blaming state lawmakers for the county's... - Levittown Intelligencer Montgomery County may need a loan to pay bills if state budget impasse continues COURTHOUSE >> The continued absence of a state budget could force Montgomery County to take out a loan to make payroll and debt service payments in the new year. Montgomery County Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson asked commissioners Thursday to authorize a tax revenue anticipation note, which would allow... - Norristown Times Herald December 18 Montgomery County may need a loan to pay bills if state budget impasse continues COURTHOUSE >> The continued absence of a state budget could force Montgomery County to take out a loan to make payroll and debt service payments in the new year. Montgomery County Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson asked commissioners Thursday to authorize a tax revenue anticipation note, which would allow... - Norristown Times Herald County foots $3 million worth of bills state should have paid “The government passed a budget,” said Frank Byrd of Canton Township, who was in the audience as Washington County commissioners adopted a 2016 general fund spending plan of $85 million-plus. His remarks were met with applause. “And it was bipartisan, Republican... - Washington Observer- Reporter Forest County forced to take out tax note Effects of the nearly six-month long budget impasse in Harrisburg continue to pop up across the state with the most recent instance coming from Forest County. County commissioners on Thursday approved a motion to take out a $400,000 tax anticipation note to help pay for county expenses, especially for its... - Oil City Derrick Greene County takes $4 million loan to fund human services WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners took out a $4 million tax anticipation loan Thursday morning to fund the county’s human services department as it awaits state funding during the 5 1/2- month-long budget impasse. Of the total amount, $3 million will refund the county’s general fund... - Washington Observer-Reporter December 16 Overdue state budget affecting county library system WILKES-BARRE — The longer the state budget impasse continues, the more the Luzerne County Library System will have to cut back on services, its administrator warned Tuesday. The system stopped its delivery service last week due to the lack of funding from the state, said Richard Miller, system administrator, in a... - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader County aids struggling area agencies December 16, 2015 Local human services agencies that are struggling to pay the bills because of a lack of a state budget are getting some much-needed assistance from Lycoming County. more »» - Williamsport Sun-Gazette December 13 Pa. budget agreement unlikely to happen this weekend; schools, counties borrow nearly $1B Gov. Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Legislature appear headed for another week of grappling over how to end a five-month budget stalemate while pressure ratchets up on them amid growing social services layoffs, threats of school shutdowns and the looming end of the calendar year... - AP Luzerne County to close on shutdown avoidance loan Monday Luzerne County officials plan to close Monday on a $20 million loan needed to prevent mass layoffs and service cuts due to state budget impasse funding delays, said county Chief Solicitor C. David Pedri. Pedri said the lenders and county council Chairwoman Linda McClosky Houck... - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader December 10 Budget impasse trickles down to Armstrong libraries Some Armstrong County libraries will cut staff and hours if the state budget impasse continues into January. That's because the state funding that goes to public libraries is tied up until the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf pass a budget. The budget was due June 30, the same day Wolf, a Democrat, vetoed the... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review December 9 Lancaster County commissioner decries 'unconscionable' state budget impasse as county prepares to borrow $35 million Lancaster County is preparing to borrow as much as $35 million to meet payroll because of the failure of state lawmakers and the governor to agree on a budget. The move will cost taxpayers here tens of thousands of dollars in interest and bank fees and mark the first time since at least the 1980s the county... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal December 8 Lack of funding for social services impacts budget December 8, 2015 By JIM RUNKLE [email protected] LOCK HAVEN - The Clinton County commissioners answered a number of questions about last week’s approval of a preliminary, $33.4 million budget for 2016. more »» - Lock Haven Express Impasse affects human services Five months into the state budget impasse, the number of contractors for Butler County Human Services seeking county funds to stay in business remains steady. Joyce Ainsworth, Human Services director, said about 13 or 14 contractors have asked for assistance. The department uses about 100 contractors to... - Butler Eagle December 7 Berks County may join other counties in suing state over impasse Berks County isn't planning to wait quietly while Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf haggle over the state budget, delaying millions in aid due to the county. Berks has joined other counties in looking into suing the state through their statewide lobbying group, the County Commissioners Association of..