Schuylkill County retirees will have to wait another month before finding out if they will get a long-awaited cost-of-living increase.

The last increase was in 2007.But Commissioners' Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. said he wants to gather more information about the cost of retirees' health care - those who retired before 2004 receive lifetime benefits - before making a decision when the retirement board meets next on April 12.On Jan. 11, commissioners said they wanted to meet with representatives from the firm that manages the retirement fund, and to learn more about health care costs before making a decision.On Wednesday, Joan Dietrich, president of the Schuylkill County Retirees Association, again asked commissioners if they made a decision."We haven't heard anything," she said.Last month, Dietrich told the board it would cost the retirement fund $182,116 to grant 0.03 percent increases to each qualifying retiree.Then, she called the amount a "pittance" in comparison to the fund's total, which was $128,929,342 as of Wednesday morning."We are doing our due diligence from that standpoint. We're still pulling together numbers on the health insurance," Halcovage said.He said health benefits are a "major cost that is driving decision making.""We've been getting excuses for 10 years," Dietrich said.Halcovage said commissioners have "not avoided having conversations about this. We've been very open."Halcovage said his main concern is the rising cost of health care."We have a responsibility to all retirees … into the future … to make sure our plan is funded well enough," he said.Dietrich said that over the 10-year span, 120 retirees have passed away, so there are fewer using the lifetime benefits.Controller Christy Joy said projected costs for retirees over the years increased from $5 million to $20 million by 2011, then to $35 million.Joy called the increase "staggering.""The price of health care has gone up significantly, even with the loss of population," he said."At this point, we're not funding it, we're just paying as we go," Joy said.Dietrich said she "just wants an answer, yes or no.""I think they definitely deserve a yes-or-no vote on this," said Commissioner Gary J. Hess.Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier was absent.In other matters Wednesday, commissioners approved a three-year, $49,122 contract with Waste Management of Pennsylvania, Lancaster, to collect trash from county facilities.The agreement, which covers the courthouse, adult probation, Schuylkill Transportation System building, the Human Services building, the Mahanoy Senior Center and the prison, starts May 1 and runs through April 30, 2020.Waste Management was the sole bidder for the contract.