Carbon County should start seeing some of the lagging reimbursements from the state within 30 days, Commissioner Rocky Ahner said Thursday afternoon.

County commissioners took out a $4 million loan last week to continue operations as they await $3.4 million in reimbursements for loans the county provided Children and Youth Services last year.

The state should process a payment of $2 million in reimbursements within 30 days, Ahner said, and another $2 million should be in the county coffers by June, pending additional reporting for the third and fourth quarters.

The $4 million in reimbursements from the state should put the county back on track for reimbursement cycles moving forward, he said.

The state reimburses the county for 80% of the Children and Youth budget, but the county had to loan money to the department to cover operational costs due to a lag in the funding from the state.

Last week, the county took a $4 million loan from its capital projects fund, basically borrowing from itself to fund the shortfall, and plans to repay the fund with interest.

Ahner cited staffing problems at the state level for delays in the reimbursements, and those issues have been resolved, he said.

The other issue was with delayed billing from its vendors, or companies that provide services for Children and Youth, which in turn delayed the county’s reporting.

Those delays resulted in the county being fined nearly $48,000, Ahner said. After speaking to the state regarding the reimbursements and reporting lags Thursday afternoon, he wasn’t sure if the state will follow through on the fine, he said.

The state did suggest that the county ask its vendors to expedite billing, rather than waiting up to 45 days or more to submit them to the county, Ahner said.

The county will have to wait to see if the state deducts the funds from its reimbursements, he said, but he was hoping that it would be waived.

The commissioners also approved a revision to the Children and Youth Services 2021/2022 Fourth Quarter Act 148 Invoice Report totaling $779,474.

The board also approved the department’s 2021/2022 Needs Based Plan/Budget amendment in the amount of $1,507,183.