As the state budget impasse reached its 128th day Thursday, Schuylkill County commissioners loaned its Office of Senior Services an additional $168,000 to help make ends meet.

Earlier this month, commissioners loaned the agency $100,000.On top of a $520,000 loan to the Children & Youth Services agency, that brings the total amount of loans to human services agencies to about $788,000 - so far.The loans will be repaid when the state adopts a budget."This is a scary, tough situation," said Commissioners' Vice Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.As of the end of September, the state budget stall has blocked $4.5 million in funding to the agencies.Of that, Children and Youth Services is owed $1,973,058; Mental Health/Disability Services is owed $1,302,636; the Office of Senior Services $734,744; Drug and Alcohol $112,199; and Human services $388,076, according to figures compiled by county finance director Paul Buber.The agencies' budgets total about $43 million.Of that, Buber has said, about $39 million comes from state and federal coffers.The total annual budget for Children and Youth is $18,564,692. The budget is $6,356,638 for the Office of Senior Services, Buber said.The federal funds also come through the state, and so are also on hold.The county has been taking the money for the loans from its general fund's unassigned fund balance."We keep taking this from what we have. We're not at the banks yet," said Commissioners' Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier.Buber said the county would be "OK for about 30 days" funding the agencies.However, he said the shortfalls are mounting.County administrator Mark Scarbinsky said further loans could "really put a crimp in our budget for next year."Commissioner Gary J. Hess has reminded officials that the county uses the fund balance to handle emergency shortfalls.Halcovage Jr. urged service providers to contact the office of Gov. Tom Wolf to urge him to resolve the impasse.