Monthslong budget impasse being felt in Centre, surrounding counties

Money to do things that the government wants done in Pennsylvania is supposed to follow a prescribed course.

By June 30, the state passes its budget for the fiscal year. Starting July 1, that money trickles out to the school districts, the counties, the agencies doing the rubber-meets-the-road work of taking care of Pennsylvanians with disabilities, problems, needs and challenges.

Unless the governor and the legislature in Harrisburg can’t agree — something that has become almost commonplace in the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania is more than 150 days into its fifth budget impasse in nine years. They have happened under three different governors. They have happened under different legislative leaders.

In Centre County, the effects have been less bleak than in some other counties.

Women’s shelters have closed without funding. The Huffington Post reported that 25 of the state’s 60 shelters shuttered without resources before Halloween. One of those was in adjacent Huntingdon County.

The Centre County Women’s Resource Center is still in business, but education director Jody Althouse said that could lead to more clients from outlying areas stepping forward for help.

For months, organizations as large as Penn State to small service providers have been stoic when asked about impact. It could be bad, they said, but for now, they would make do and hope a budget deal was forthcoming.

They said that in July. And September. And October. And before Thanksgiving.

This week, however, several sat down with the Centre Daily Times to talk about how bad things could get and when.

“There’s going to be a tipping point soon if they don’t do something,” said Cathi Alloway, director of Schlow Centre Region Library.

The library should have received one of its quarterly distributions from the state already. Another is due in January. The Centre County Library, which includes locations in Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Philipsburg as well as the bookmobile, is also due to receive funding at that time.

Without it, both say they are starting to consider hard choices.

“If we don’t get that check, we are in serious trouble,” said Centre County Library Executive Director Lisa Erickson.

The two groups are looking at possible layoffs or cutting back hours, plus stopping purchase of new material.

This might not seem vital. A library, after all, is not an emergency room.

Except, sometimes, the emergencies are more mundane.

Alloway says that Schlow’s clients often come in for books, but the critical thing they seek is the computers, which she claims are almost always in use, and the purpose is frequently necessary.

A free library card is a pass to use those computers and the Internet, both of which might be out of reach for a lower-income client at home. Alloway’s clients use them to access things like unemployment compensation, which the state’s website advises is best done online. They can use them to file applications for assistance through the state’s Compass Portal for things like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits, Children’s Health Insurance and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program fuel assistance.

Erickson says the Holt Memorial Library in Philipsburg is the only public source of computers for that western edge of Centre County, leaving the Moshannon Valley-area 20 miles from the offices in State College or Bellefonte where they might seek help in person.

Schlow is also a state leadership library, providing additional support to libraries in surrounding counties.

“There is a ripple effect,” said Centre County United Way Executive Director Tammy Gentzel. “The libraries are a very essential part of the social services program.”

Strawberry Fields also provides a variety of services to the county. Some of those, like residential programs, are paid through federal funding the state passes through. Others, like the Toddler Learning Center, are not.

The TLC is part of the early intervention programs, therapies and classes offered for young children with identified developmental delays.

“We are in a county that has been very fiscally responsible. We’ve been told that we are good with them until at least the end of the year,” said Susan Drenning, early intervention program director.

Strawberry Fields also works with surrounding counties where the financial picture is more dire. Drenning says they have not been paid for services in Huntingdon, Mifflin or Juniata since July 1.

“We keep hearing there will be a budget soon, maybe, maybe, but I don’t see it,” she said.

Neither does Easter Seals of Western and Central Pennsylvania. The organization that has provided programs and services to the disabled for 80 years, laid off 22 people this week in a move attributed to the budget impasse.

“In addition to the temporary layoffs, a temporary pay reduction will be implemented should the budget impasse continue past Dec. 10. These reductions are as high as 30 percent and will create a severe hardship for ESWCP’s remaining employees,” ESWCP said in a release Friday. They cut some services, like field trips and special activities, and discontinued travel and training.

“Even with all these cost-cutting decisions, we are becoming increasingly unable to pay our basic operating expenses,” the organization said. “We understand that everyone wants what is best for Pennsylvania but do not consider the prolonged budget impasse as beneficial for our consumers and their families, our employees, our vendors or our communities!”

“It’s going to get pretty dire for people who can’t take care of themselves,” Gentzel said.

For some, the line in the sand has already been crossed. For the libraries, it is inching closer. The next week or two could mean the difference between Centre County libraries being able to serve clients fully or not.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, did not return phone calls for this story. That is likely due to the fact that the senate was buckled down for a weekendlong session in an attempt to hammer something out.

Gov. Tom Wolf was likewise unavailable, but his press secretary, Jeffrey Sheridan, said he is anticipating a budget being passed soon.

“We finally have a framework. The final details are moving forward and being worked out right now,” he said. “Hopefully, there will be a budget before Christmas or even sooner.”

Penn State’s vice president of government and community relations reported the same to trustees last month, except the expected date was Thanksgiving.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Monthslong budget impasse being felt in Centre, surrounding counties."