SCRANTON, Pa. — A consultant hired by Lackawanna County to develop an emergency financial management plan is expected to present its findings later this month.
The county’s commissioners will hold the presentation at 10 a.m. on Aug. 15 with PFM Group Consulting, of Philadelphia.
Commissioner Bill Gaughan said Sunday the presentation will center on an emergency plan developed to assist the cash-strapped county with getting through the remainder of the year. PFM is also working on a five-year strategic budgeting plan and a management audit, the results of which are expected a little later this year.
PFM’s findings were not immediately disclosed. The announcement of a presentation was made in a legal notice published in The Times-Tribune newspaper.
The commissioners contracted with PFM soon after entering the state’s Strategic Management Plan program earlier this year to deal with the county’s $19 million in unpaid bills and $15 million deficit.
The lack of a "clear plan" for a consistently balanced budget was one of the reasons S&P Global decided in June to downgrade the county government's bond rating to BBB.
PFM’s $276,800 contract cost is partially funded by a $100,000 grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development.
The presentation Aug. 15 will take place at the Lackawanna County Government Center on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton.
