The absence of an agreement between Carbon County and the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau for hotel tax distribution could result in the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency footing the bill for traffic control during the town’s upcoming Fall Foliage Festival, scheduled for the first three weekends of October.

Hotel tax money is split between the county and PMVB, with the county using a portion of the funds for Mauch Chunk Lake and the rest for a grant program benefiting nonprofit organizations in the area.How the money, usually around $700,000 annually, is divvied up between the county and PMVB has become a point of contention, and while details are worked out, the grant program is on hold.“For years that hotel grant covered traffic control by police down at the festival, but that check isn’t coming this year while that agreement is worked out,” Jim Thorpe Mayor Michael Sofranko said Thursday. “That isn’t the fault of the county as they can’t give anyone money right now. They are hoping to do restart the grant program again next year, but you can expect the money to be considerably less.”The grant is usually worth between $5,000 and $8,000, which covers the added police presence downtown over the three weekends.Carbon County had received 50 percent of the hotel tax funds, but PMVB proposed a drop in that percentage earlier this year. The bureau had proposed dropping the county’s portion to 20 percent of the first $500,000 collected and 10 percent after that. The two sides have been negotiating since that proposal.Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency officials indicated they would be willing to cover the cost of additional officers for the festival, estimated by police to be $5,000 to $6,000.“We like to have a minimum of four officers down there,” Police Chief Joe Schatz said. “To put one guy downtown at a traffic light really isn’t fair because as he’s trying to direct traffic, he’s getting a thousand questions thrown at him by people.”Deputies from the county sheriff’s department have helped out on recent weekends with high visitor volume, but their role is limited.“They can help out, but they don’t have the proper training for traffic control and to put them out in the street makes the borough liable should something happen,” Sofranko said.Jim Thorpe Borough Council, in recent years, drafted a police services contract for all events requiring traffic control or additional presence by officers.The borough has only waived the fee for the American Legion Post 304, which hosts the annual Stay At Home Festival in July at Memorial Park.“During the St. Patrick’s Day parade, the Carbon County Ancient Order of Hibernians pays for police and so do our other groups who hold events,” Sofranko said. “Unfortunately, this year with the fall foliage money not coming, someone else has to pay.”