It’s a national embarrassment that Pennsylvania’s capital city is facing a state takeover of its debt-ridden finances, or bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the federal bankruptcy code.

But Harrisburg finds itself in that deplorable mess, and making matters worse is the failure of conflicting sides to reach agreements that might make the situation less daunting.

The stubbornness within the Harrisburg City Council itself is working against the need to weather the financial storm.

Unfortunately, it could be months before the situation finally is sorted out, with a definite course of action in place.

The situation, as it currently exists, is as follows:

• The majority of Harrisburg’s council members have on three occasions over the past four months refused to adopt an economic recovery plan produced by the state Department of Community and Economic Development and Mayor Linda Thompson. The council members fear that the plan would require a tax increase or increases, force the sale of revenue-producing city assets such as parking garages, and require pay freezes or layoffs of city employees, including police and firefighters.

•The council majority opposing the recovery plan has decided to petition U.S. Bankruptcy Court for permission to move ahead with the Chapter 9 filing.

• Legislation allowing the state to take control of the capital city’s finances was completing its trek through the Legislature on Wednesday, heading toward Gov. Tom Corbett’s desk.

• Philadelphia lawyer Mark Schwartz, hired by the council to seek the bankruptcy protection, said it was unconstitutional for the state to take over city finances.

• State Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, calling the state control “unfortunate but necessary,” according to an account in a Pittsburgh newspaper, said the petition for bankruptcy “is illegal and demonstrates the council majority’s absolute flagrant disregard to governing the city in a responsible manner.”

The bill authorizing the state takeover would give the mayor and council 30 days to adopt a long-term recovery plan similar to the one proposed by DCED this summer. Failure by the council to act within that time would pave the way for Corbett to ask Commonwealth Court to name a “receiver” who would implement a recovery plan.

Meanwhile, a federal judge has said she won’t decide until at least Nov. 19 whether bankruptcy is legal, but a bankruptcy hearing won’t be held until Nov. 23. Attorneys have said Harrisburg would be the first capital city in the nation in at least 40 years, possibly ever, to file for bankruptcy.

About half of the city’s $600 million in bonds and debt has resulted from a long-malfunctioning city incinerator that isn’t producing enough money to pay off bonds that were needed to renovate it. But there’s the other half of debt not attributable to the incinerator — instead attributable to Harrisburg officials’ inability to get a handle on spending.

What’s happening in Harrisburg should be watched closely by leaders in Butler, who also have their hands full with a worsening city fiscal condition.

The same is true for other Pennsylvania cities that are in fiscal trouble.