As state legislators continue to struggle to pass a budget the Lycoming-Clinton Joinder Board is running out of money to provide essential services. At their monthly meeting this week, the board approved a $1 million line of credit which should keep the services going until the end of the fiscal year, Keith Wagner, executive director, said.

“Currently the state is without a budget, which means that the Joinder is not receiving its quarterly allocations,” Wagner said.

“About six weeks ago, we added a million dollars to our line of credit with Woodlands Bank to help us keep services flowing. We have now reached the point where we have a need to increase that by another million dollars. At this point in our line of credit of 3 million, we have $2,773,000 currently out on the line…We have $227,000 remaining so there will not be enough to fund us through the end of the month,” he explained.

The Joinder Board oversees the administering of state-mandated mental health, intellectual disability and other human services at the county level. County commissioners from both Lycoming and Clinton counties sit on the board.

“At this point in our operations, we are still maintaining all services,” Wagner said.

He reiterated that the extension in the line of credit would provide funding until the end of the year with a “couple of caveats.”

“We have some outstanding payments that we’re waiting on from the state for the previous fiscal year, which they are paying, and they have notified us that they are going to. That’s about $230,000 so we’re anticipating that arriving. (We) also anticipate receiving the first quarter of the county match…If that flows in, then with that and the line of credit, we should be good through the remainder of the calendar year,” he said.

“Now, when I say that, what that means is that we are very limited in what we’re paying, mostly covering payroll benefits providers whose services are the most required, and who are mostly Mom and Pop type services-so foster families and adoption subsidy families, early intervention providers. Some of those who are getting paid,” he said.

He stated that hearing masters for commitment hearings are also covered.

“Everything else, including operating expenses, we’re currently not covering – they’re just mounting at this point and we kind of look at those on a bi-weekly basis to determine what should we pay? That’s where we’re at,” he said.

“We also have cut all travel. We’re not filling any empty positions. We’re looking hard at expenses at this point to really limit things as much as we can while still maintaining the services,” he added.

To add to the situation, the federal government also does not have a budget, so funding from them, which amounts to about 40 percent of the Joinder’s budget, is not being received. The state provides about 40 to 50 percent of the Joinder’s budget and the county 10 to 20 percent, depending on funding streams, Wagner said.

He noted that this is the first time that he is aware of that both the governments at both the state and federal level have no budget approved, which leaves open the possibility that the state budget could be approved, but not the federal and it is unknown how that would affect funding.