HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County has suspended non-essential travel and purchasing as of Wednesday, Commissioner Dave Kessling said, with possible furloughs on the horizon as more than 100 days have passed without a state budget.
Speaking after the commissioners’ meeting Thursday morning, Kessling said purchases will “go through the commissioners, what is going to be approved and what’s not going to be approved.”
“We’re really starting to feel the pinch,” Kessling said. “And again, when you look at CYF and social services? These are the most neediest people in the community that are not getting the services that they need to get.”
He said it didn’t seem to matter to the state, as “they’re just not passing the budget” and it’s come to the point where it’s affecting Blair County’s budget.
“Our next step is, we’re going to start considering furloughing people,” Kessling said. “Because if it doesn’t get done here pretty quick, we’re going to run out of money.”
Some of the county’s functions will continue to operate because of the impact they have on families, children and law enforcement.
“We’re not going to tell sheriffs they can’t go out and pick up warrants or transport (inmates),” Kessling said.
As for looking ahead, Kessling said the impasse isn’t impacting the county’s ongoing 2026 budget planning.
The commissioners will be searching for ways to cut back in order to sustain the raises given to staff.
“We’ve continued to go back to department heads and other elected officials saying, ‘hey, look, we need to start cutting some of the fat,’” Kessling said. “And, if they don’t, then we’re just going to start cutting it for them.”
It is also uncertain if there will be a tax increase, Kessling said, adding that he is opposed to the idea “at this time.”
“We still have a prison that we’re looking at, which we have to figure that out,” Kessling said. “I think that we should look more at cutting some of the things that we don’t necessarily need, that are nice to have … to try to offset that if we can.”
At the commissioners’ Aug. 28 meeting, they had approved the submission of a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state legislature addressing the consequences of missing the deadline.
Commissioner Laura Burke had also said that, between the federal and state governments, Blair County received more than $15 million a year from 2021 to 2025. A portion of the federal money is also given to the county through the state.
Following that meeting, Burke said if the impasse lasted past the end of September, the commissioners would have to have a serious conversation about scaling back several services due to lack of funding.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.
Blair County feels pinch from stalled Pennsylvania budget
