Butler County will seek a line of credit to help its human services contractors who are struggling due to a lack of a state budget.

The county commissioners Wednesday voted to issue a request for proposal for short-term financing to assist the contractors and providers who provide the bulk of the services for the county's 20,000 human services clients. The department has about 100 contractors.

In Harrisburg, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature have not been able to agree on a 2015-16 state budget. July 1 was the deadline to have the spending plan in place.

Without a budget, the state funding that pays for much of the human services at the county level is not coming in.

However, Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman said this morning the county may end up not being able to get a credit line. He said he was told by county solicitor Mike English after the vote that the process to get a credit line for a county is complicated and that only one other county so far has gotten one.

County Treasurer Diane Marburger said this morning that under the Local Government Unit Debt Act, the county first would have to identify the lender and terms, then create an ordinance and publish it before enacting it. Then, the county would have to get approval from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which could take two or three weeks. Finally, the county has to get court approval.

She said it could be mid-December before the process would be finished.

County Commissioner Jim Eckstein said at the commissioners meeting that the county could end up needing up to $2 million per month to help float human services agencies. Joyce Ainsworth, human services director said paying that amount each month is a worst-case scenario.

About 13 to 14 of the department's providers have asked the county for assistance. The department had been using leftover funds from last year to help agencies in trouble, but that money ran out at the beginning of the month.

Since then, money from the county's general fund has been used to help pay providers. Ainsworth said the department is looking at invoices individually to see what can be paid and how they can be paid.

“We have $2 million of invoices on our desk right now that are not being paid,” Ainsworth said, further saying that the department has about $8 million due from the state for this year.

Although she would not identify the agencies seeking assistance, she said they provide services such as mental health treatment, drug and alcohol treatment, residential services and group home services.

All three county commissioners urged residents to contact Wolf's office and their state legislators.

“We have no idea when this thing is going to settle,” Commissioner Dale Pinkerton said about the state budget stalemate.

McCarrier said the lack of a budget is going to affect everybody. He said the state has all of its money, and state employees are getting paid, but the counties are not getting any of it.

“This is not right,” McCarrier said.