Carbon County officials are banking on Gov. Tom Wolf's word regarding the continued state funding for two positions in the Office on Area Agency on Aging.

Last week, the county salary board approved two actions regarding extending the duration of a limited term aging care manager II and a limited term aging case aide II from June 30 to Dec. 31.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein, who also chairs the salary board, said the county is listening to what the agency is being told."We felt confident that it will be reimbursed in the future so we extended the positions," he said.Commissioner William O'Gurek said the county received a letter from the governor's office saying that he was "confident funding levels would remain the same.""We heard from the governor and he is confident so we are extending it (the two positions)," he said. "But if it is not in the budget when it is passed, you will see action here to discontinue them."The commissioners voted in January to create the two positions after the state budgeted $50 million to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to address waiting lists of seniors looking for services.Carbon County received $225,000 of the funding and used it to cover the two positions for the first half of the year, as well as expand its Options in-home service programs, deliver emergency preparedness kits to 320 elderly residents and provide more home-delivered meal program in areas of the county.