With rising costs, less revenue coming in and a multimillion dollar budget deficit, the new majority board of Carbon County Commissioners approved a new proposed 2024 budget, calling for a 0.75-mill increase to help offset some costs.

During the board’s weekly meeting, the commissioners, in a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Rocky Ahner casting the sole no vote, the board approved changes to the operating funds budget. Under county code, when a new board of commissioners is elected, the board has the option to reopen the budget that had been approved by the previous board.

Under the new proposed budget, the operating funds increase $162,748 to $59,369,977; while the capital projects funds budget and special funds budget remain the same at $4,452,584 and $8,156,441.

Commissioners’ Chairman Michael Sofranko said the new proposed budget increases general millage to 12.2 and debt millage to 0.8, making a new millage rate of 13.

The last time the county raised taxes was in 2020 when the previous board took office.

Sofranko said that the tax increase was necessary to help cut the $5.3 million budget deficit, which the previous board was taking out of the fund balance, will be cut to $4.2 million.

It represents a little over 6% increase or about $75 on every $1,000 of assessed value. It also will generate in revenue approximately $1,209,030.

“The new budget tax rate will be able to cut the deficit at the opening of over a million dollars,” Sofranko said, noting that there were some changes that were added, while other things were cut.

He said five outstanding union contracts aren’t covered in the budget because negotiations are still taking place. There is money in the contingency funds to cover those new contracts once they are approved.

Sofranko also addressed Commissioner Rocky Ahner’s recommendation to include an additional 1.5% in raises for county employees above the 3.5% raises they received in January. This, he said will not be happening because it would cost the taxpayers an additional $191,000.

Other notable points that required changes to the budget include numerous tax appeals coming up that could cut revenue coming in; two county buildings that are in need of new roofs that weren’t originally budgeted; adding $37,000 for a drug court coordinator; the upcoming $10 million bond for the open space initiative; an additional $77,000 that was originally cut for various upgrades in some offices; and two new positions, one for a grant writer and one to oversee the open space program.

“When we started looking at this ... you all heard 3 mills, 2 mills, 2.5 mills, but we worked very diligently to bring that down to get it under a mill and be able to cut the deficit that we are borrowing from year to year and carry that,” Sofranko said. “I know everyone knows it doesn’t take rocket science to figure this out, but we do have a $10 million bond or a $10 million line of credit that has to be taken care of somewhere along the line for open space. If we continue to operate in a deficit, I don’t want to tell you what that does to our rates ... They’re just going to increase the bond interest.

“If we can show them how to handle money and pull money down and not operate so far in a deficit, that gets us a better rate,” he added.

In addition, the board plans to look at other items to see if additional cuts can be made for the long-term, specifically the county vehicle fleet.

Sofranko said that the county pays approximately $19,000 a month for leases on vehicles.

The county wants to determine if all these vehicles are necessary and what changes could be made.

Also, coming in the next few months is an increase to parking fees for the county-owned parking lot on weekends and holidays.

The board said this would provide additional funds to offset upcoming projects that can use the parking lot fund.

Sofranko said that while this includes a tax increase now, this helps set the county up for a more stable future.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said that this new budget will address some of the positions that weren’t funded in the previous budget, pointing out that the county has recently lost approximately $50,000 because of the lack of a grant writer.

When asked why he voted against the new budget, Ahner said that he felt the employees should have gotten the additional percentage raises and noted that he felt the county was banking too much money.

“I think taking money from the taxpayers and just putting it in our bank account is not a good plan,” he said.

Ahner agreed with the grant writer position, saying that it is something he has pushed for throughout his first term; and agreed that an open space coordinator was needed for the program.

Nothstein responded that if the county kept using the fund balance, eventually there wouldn’t be anything left.

“You can’t keep operating at a deficit,” he said, noting that in addition to tax appeals that are in the pipeline, he predicts the county will get forced into a reassessment, which could cost millions.

The new proposed budget is available for review until Feb. 14. It will be formally acted on at the commissioners’ Feb. 15 meeting.