ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Pennsylvania’s $50.1 billion state budget has finally passed after missing its June 30 deadline, but Lehigh County officials say the approval hasn’t quite eased their financial strain — just yet.

At their regular meeting Wednesday, Lehigh County Board of Commissioners Chair Geoff Brace said the budget’s passage does not resolve the county’s immediate cash-flow problems caused by weeks of stalled payments.

Previously, commissioners heard a presentation from Chief Fiscal Officer Tim Reeves, who told them the county is on track to deplete its $25 million stabilization fund by year’s end if state funds remain delayed.

Without state reimbursements, the county had planned to secure a $40 million to $60 million loan in January to maintain services until spring tax revenues arrive. For now, Reeves will return at a future meeting to discuss ongoing impacts.

Overtime bonuses

In other action, commissioners extended temporary overtime bonus programs for correctional officers and 911 communications employees through Feb. 13. Eligible 911 staff will continue receiving a $5-per-hour bonus for extra shifts, increasing to $10 per hour during holidays, severe weather or emergencies.

Rick Molchany, the county’s director of general services, said the 911 center is operating with a staffing deficit of more than 25%. He said the incentive helps maintain coverage while reducing reliance on emergency overtime.

Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt praised the extension and thanked 911 staff for “keeping citizens safe when they have an emergency.” Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi agreed, saying, “We want them paid and answering the phone.”

Molchany added that a broader plan to improve the 911 center is underway. “We just didn’t want to give money away — we wanted to be sure we were truly enhancing the center,” he said.

The correctional officer program continues a $5-per-hour discretionary bonus when staffing falls below minimum levels.

Cole-Borghi said officers “deserve more money…in their actual paycheck and not just as discretionary bonuses.”

Dutt, who sponsored the bill, thanked Corrections Director Janine Donate for leading the jail “through very precarious times.” Donate wrote in a memo that the incentives help maintain safe staffing and reduce reliance on costly emergency coverage.

Funding for the program will come from the department’s existing personnel budget, and officials plan to review the program before it expires.

Commissioner’s arrest

At the end of the meeting, Cole-Borghi said it had been 76 days since his arrest on drug charges stemming from a three-year, multi-state investigation that resulted in 22 arrests. He said he has not been shown evidence or an affidavit of probable cause related to the arrest.

The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office has previously said claims of denied due process are “unfounded.”

The office said the charges were based on a grand jury process supervised by a judge and later sealed after judicial review.

In an effort to unseal court dockets and judicial records on behalf of LehighValleyNews.com, The Morning Call, and lehighvalleylive.com, Reporters Committee Local Legal Initiative attorney Paula Knudsen Burke has filed an emergency petition, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The committee said the First Amendment provides the news outlets the right to access the sealed documents.

On Nov. 7, Judge Thomas Capehart ordered the unsealing case, previously filed in civil court, to be transferred to criminal court.