Westmoreland commissioners cancel public meetings amid state budget crisis

Because there’s no money to spend, Westmoreland County commissioners say, there is no need to conduct this week’s regularly scheduled public meetings at the courthouse.

Commissioners canceled their agenda meeting set for Tuesday morning and Thursday’s public voting session in response to the ongoing state budget impasse that has halted the flow of money into county coffers and forced the furloughs of 125 workers next month.

“How are we going to pay our bills? This is not just theater; it’s a real situation,” said commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes about the decision to cancel this week’s public sessions. “This isn’t just a public meeting. It’s authorizing the payment of bills and awarding contracts.”

Commissioners routinely meet once or twice monthly, though there are no requirements as to when the board must meet. The board conducted its last public session Sept. 11 when it awarded millions of dollars in contracts to pay for social service and public works programs as well as other routine spending for general county operations.

The commissioners’ next scheduled public meetings, set for the week of Oct. 27, remain on the schedule.

“It’s impossible to do any business if you don’t have money,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said.

Commissioners announced the employee furloughs last week. The county employs more than 1,700, including about 857 staffers based out of the courthouse in Greensburg. Furlough notices were sent to staffers who will be temporarily removed from the payroll starting Oct. 13. Furloughed employees will retain seniority, will continue to receive health insurance benefits and will be required to repay the county for their share once recalled back to work.

Furloughs affect workers from nearly every department, including four from the commissioners’ staff as well as 31 assigned to the county’s human services departments such as behavioral health, aging and the children’s bureau. In all, about 12% of human services staffers will be furloughed, including the department’s entire strategic planning staff, according to Director Rob Hamilton.

No major program cuts are expected initially as a result of the furloughs, but long-range planning and future employment issues will likely be impacted, he said.

“We are trying to provide the best services we can, and there will be vendors who won’t be paid on time,” Hamilton said, noting that his department receives more than about $90 million in state funding annually and indirectly oversees about another $200 million in state dollars used to implement human service programs.

Added Hamilton: “This is putting most of the most vulnerable individuals at risk. The state needs to put contingency funding in place. People’s lives are on the line.”

Westmoreland’s $452 million budget — which operates on a calendar-year schedule — relies on nearly $104 million in state funding. The county has received only limited deposits since the state’s fiscal year ended June 30.

The furloughs are expected to save the county about $100,000 every two weeks in payroll costs. Commissioners have yet to say how long furloughs are expected to last and cautioned that even with a quick resolution to the state budget, it could take weeks and potentially months for money to flow back into the county.

For now, the furloughs are expected to allow the county to continue operating key services. But, should the budget impasse drag on over the coming weeks, the county could be forced to pull back on some of its programs, including operation of its senior centers and some behavioral health services, Hamilton said.

“The devastation this will have cannot be taken lightly,” he said.

Commissioners said other cost-saving initiatives, such as closing the county parks and reducing courthouse workdays, are on the table in the coming weeks.

Recorder of Deeds Frank Schiefer, who will see his staff reduced by three, announced the closing of his department’s record room, where deed and mortgage books are stored. Prothonotary Gina O’Barto this week halted Thursday night weekly office hours to process passport applications. Her office will furlough two staffers.

Human Resources Director Amanda Bernard said 10 department managers will be furloughed as part of the county’s staff reduction plan.

While most county departments will see furloughs, Westmoreland Manor and courthouse offices such as the Register of Wills, Treasurer, Veterans Affairs, Financial Administration, Public Defender and Human Resources will for now not reduce staff.

According to data released by the commissioners Monday, 12 public works employees will be furloughed, 10 from parks and recreation, 12 from court operations and three from 911.

The coroner’s office will furlough 10 employees, a figure that includes nine part-time staffers. Coroner Tim Carson and his seven full-time deputies will handle the office’s caseload.

“They cover a lot of shifts,” Carson said of the furloughed part-time staff. “We’ll just have to roll with it and we’ll make it work.”

He said the coroner’s office has suspended community outreach programs and, as the state budget crisis lingers, he will no longer send staff to local schools as part of educational efforts.