Some Butler County officials are worried about the county’s financial ability to pay all of its obligations this year, but other officials are not.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein is afraid the county cannot make all of its payments.

“I’m saddened by it,” Eckstein said. “We have to make these payments.”

Treasurer Diane Marburger said concerns about the county’s financial stability are valid.

“I can’t ever remember it being like this — ever,” Marburger said.

She said the county has $9 million left in its general fund.

However, by the end of the year, the county has to pay back its Tax Anticipation Note, which is $7.5 million. That is a debt municipalities can take out to fund immediate needs, and it is repaid with tax revenues.

The county will also have to make its final three payrolls — totaling nearly $4 million — and pay about $680,000 for health care.

The county also is supposed to make its final payment to Butler County Community College, totaling $1.25 million. However, Marburger said it sounds like the county will postpone that payment until January.

The commissioners voted this month to allow the withdrawal of up to $1 million from the county’s reserve fund, which totals $1.2 million, to help make up for the lack of state money. The county has not gotten any state revenues because Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature cannot agree on a new 2015-16 state budget.

The county has $1.9 million in state Act 13 Marcellus Shale gas impact fee money that is not allocated for any specific purpose that can be used for general fund payments.

But Marburger noted that $1.9 million in impact fees and the $1 million in reserves only totals $2.9 million.

“That’s not enough,” Marburger said.

In addition to the reserves and gas impact fees, chief clerk Amy Wilson said the county is expecting internal warrants — which includes money generated by county departments’ fees and money that the county advances to departments that is paid back the county — totaling about $1.6 million by the end of the year.

She said the state budget impasse is a major reason for financial concerns right now.

“We will continue to keep a very close eye on cash flow as the end of the year approaches,” Wilson said.

However, Marburger said payments from warrants are not always guaranteed.

The county is in the 48th week of its fiscal calendar. Marburger said on occasion the general fund drops to this level, but that normally happens in the 50th week.

Eckstein said the county needs to look into using money from its gas impact fees and Legacy fund accounts to help make these payments.

“What are we waiting for?” Eckstein asked.

But Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, is much less worried.

He said Wilson and Tim Morgus with Maher Duessel, which audits county records, both have told officials the county will make it to the end of the year fine.

“We’ve been told we can do it,” McCarrier said. “They say the money is there to do it.”

Morgus did not return a call for comment.

McCarrier said the county often holds off on its final payment to BC3 until January.

He said the county could get a Revenue Anticipation Note early next year. That RAN is a bond that municipalities generally get to finance a project and are paid off using revenues from that project.

Wilson said the county is considering getting a RAN in January to help pay for human services that are not getting paid state money right now.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton also said he has been told there is money that can be transferred to fill in any revenue gaps and pay the county’s bills.

“There’s money sitting around that we can use,” Pinkerton said.

Controller Ben Holland said he believes the county will make it through the year, but just barely.

“They’ll likely squeak by, but they’re going to have to find every pocket of money that they can,” Holland said. “It’s going to be close.”

He said commissioners will have to look at all funding sources. He said that there actually is closer to $2.6 million in impact fee money because there were leftover funds from 2014.

He also said there is about $500,000 in Legacy fee money, but he is unsure if that can be used legally. Legacy money is generated by the same state law that gives counties impact fees for natural gas drilling, and generally is meant to be used for parks and recreation spending.

Holland said he also is concerned about the county’s ability to replenish its reserve fund if it is emptied.

He said these financial issues are not a surprise to him, having told commissioners in June that he anticipated having a deficit and cash flow problem by the end of the year.

“That’s exactly what’s happening,” Holland said, saying these issues cannot all be blamed on the state budget crisis.

He said getting by using all of the gas impact fees and reserves will leave the incoming new commissioners in January with “nothing.” McCarrier, Pinkerton and Eckstein all leave office at the end of the year.

“You’re literally starting from scratch,” Holland said.

He said he would advise the incoming commissioners — Leslie Osche, Kim Geyer and Kevin Boozel — to reopen the 2016 budget almost immediately upon taking office and looking for places to save money.

The current budget is $183.2 million with a tax rate of 24.6 mills. A presentation of the proposed 2016 budget is slated for Dec. 9 and will be voted on by commissioners later in the month.