Staff writer
Clarion County’s Children and Youth Services is in the hole and looking to the state to make the program whole again.
On Tuesday, the Clarion County commissioners agreed to loan CYS an additional $310,000.
The loan from the county’s general fund was not the first this year. To date, the county has loaned CYS a total of $910,000.
Once that is approved, Ion said, the county can get back its advances.
“They only give you one advance, and after that you are on your on own until that is finished,” she said. “The state will reimburse their portion of it. They usually make you whole. They have in the past. There hasn’t been a time that they haven’t made us whole.”
Ion said CYS is over budget, but the state usually covers the additional cost. She noted there could be a shortfall if too many counties were to request additional funding.
In Pennsylvania, the counties must pay for services provided by CYS. The counties are reimbursed from the state Human Services fund. If there is a shortfall, the counties are mandated to continue to pay for those services.
On Tuesday, the commissioners reviewed two contracts on behalf of CYS for child placement.
The first was with the Children’s Aid Society for foster care services. The cost ranges between $32 to $91.80 per day. The county’s match is between 10 and 40 percent.
“When we do the budget we really don’t know what these placements will cost. It is kind of a guessing game,” said Ion. “We won’t know what the needs are until we see the bill.”
Ion said the daily rate would depend on the level of care required.
The commissioners also reviewed two promotions at CYS: Teresa Holben, into the position of program specialist on a full-time basis at an annual salary of $36,907.38, and Sarah Wallace, into the position of caseworker coordinator at an annual rate of $30,907.38.
The items will be voted on at the next meeting of the board of commissioners.