Butler’s Main Street Program is running on fumes while the arrival of the state grant that fuels it is delayed partly due to miscommunication between Butler Downtown and city officials.

Butler Downtown gets $70,000 in state funds, about $40,000 of that is for operations, mostly for the Main Street manager’s salary and benefits, and $30,000 for facade improvements on buildings.

State grants have funded the group since 2008-09.

The problem is Butler Downtown has not yet received its 2013 funds from the state, partly due to grant paperwork that was submitted late, according to Tom Panei, Butler Downtown president.

“For some reason, we thought we had the paperwork,” he said. “It had to be submitted through the city. The city submits it, receives the funds and passes it on to us.

“We found out they never submitted it or we didn’t have the right paperwork. It’s such a gray area that everyone was kind of pointing fingers at everybody else. Each party should have been following it a little bit better. On our end, we should have been more adamant about it.”

Chelynne Curci, the Main Street manager under Butler Downtown, said the paperwork was not a grant application because the program’s funding already has been approved for this year, but a report of what the group’s money was spent on last year and its plans for this year.

Curci said, “I’m not worried about whether we’re doing things right. We are, or we would not have received our national accreditation. It’s just a matter of paperwork.”

Mayor Maggie Stock conceded only that the application now has been submitted and the city and Butler Downtown are waiting for a response from Harrisburg.

Panei said the Butler County Chamber of Commerce has been helping Butler Downtown cover administrative costs, “but I don’t want to be broke as soon as we see that money.”

“I guess Harrisburg is so backed up. We’re probably not the only Main Street program waiting on money.”