HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Commissioners on March 10 approved a resolution opposing the state’s pay-you-later decision to withhold 15% of approved human services funding.

In January, the state Department of Public Welfare notified the county that its fiscal 2015-16 budget amount of $5.62 million was approved—kind of.

Gov. Tom Wolf on December 29 signed Act 92 into law, which allowed fiscally strapped PA to roll forward about 15% of the 2015-2016 state child welfare budget, $171.3 million, into the 2016-17 budget.

When the prior administration of Gov. Tom Corbett instituted “block grant” funding in the 2012-13 budget, Wayne’s Human Services Director Andrea Whyte was pleased with the new discretionary spending it allowed. However, the new discretion also came with a 10% funding cut.

The new rollover deficit would amount to some $843,000 for Wayne. County officials and others worried that the rollover would become a new permanent cut in fiscal years to come.

Last week’s resolution, prepared by the County Commissioners Association of PA, called for the restoration of 10% lost in 2012-13 and opposed the current “rebalancing” initiative which would cause counties to reduce spending by 25%, “reduce payments to providers, shorten contract periods, or use county property tax funds to cover the state’s obligation until a future budget makes a true allocation….”

Commissioners Chair Brian Smith said the resolution was an effort “to prevent this from ever happening again.”

Commissioner Jonathan Fritz said the resolution was “a manifestation of the frustration that all are experiencing… 67 counties, all together.”

In other business, the commissioners approved an interim contract to accept the balance of the county’s recycled electronics. Further recycling of electronics awaits approval of a new state agreement.

The commissioners also approved 14 grants of annual hotel excise-tax funded grants for out-of-county advertising of events likely to prompt overnight visitor stays within the county.