It is the budget crisis that never ends.

For those of you who lost track, it has been more than a month since Gov. Ed Rendell signed a state budget, ending a standoff that had dragged on for more than 100 days.

But five weeks later, all the i’s have yet to be dotted and not all the t’s have been crossed.

For one, there is the matter of table games. Expansion of the action at the state’s slots parlors is supposed to provide a huge chunk of revenue for the beleaguered state coffers.

But the legislation to enact table games has not yet been crafted.

And while the drama has been decidedly low-key since the budget deal was cut in Harrisburg, the trickle-down delay is starting to create some rumblings in Delaware County political circles.

Upper Darby Democrats are now concerned that longtime state Rep. Mario Civera, R-164, of Upper Darby, is reneging on his campaign promise to give up his state House seat if he won election to Delaware County Council.

Of course Civera cruised to a win along with fellow Republican and incumbent councilman Jack Whelan.

But Civera says there are some things he wants to accomplish in Harrisburg before he bids farewell to the place that has been his second home for a couple of decades.

Specifically, he wants to make sure the budget deal – including the legislation on table games – is a done deal. He also makes clear his desire to be sure fellow Delco Republican Rep. Bill Adolph, R-165, of Springfield, slides into his position as minority chair of the key Appropriations Committee.

On the other hand, Delco Democrats see politics at work. They believe Civera and GOP powers are now leery of him giving up his House seat, and putting the seat in play for a special election that would be held on primary day next May.

That’s because there likely is going to be a huge turnout by Democrats interested in both the U.S. Senate battle between Congressman Joe Sestak and Sen. Arlen Specter, as well as state Rep. Bryan Lentz trying to find off at least two challengers for the nomination to run for Sestak’s 7th District seat in Congress.

Nonsense, says Civera. He said he would give up the seat and that’s exactly what he plans to do, but not before he completes some unfinished business in the state capitol.

“The quicker I can get out of here, the better it is,” Civera told our Alex Rose. “It is not my intention to stay there until November or to drag this thing out at all. I said I would leave and that’s what my intentions are.”

Even a never-ending state budget mess seems to be able to stop that.