A Carbon County commissioner is urging his colleagues to address the maintenance department staffing issue as the county expands office space.

“My problem is our maintenance department is limping around every day (due to not having enough staffing) and the work orders keep adding up,” said Commissioner Rocky Ahner Thursday after a motion was made to establish a temporary part-time utility worker in the election department. “We’re adding additional space, (and) not thinking about maintenance of the buildings.”

Ahner explained that the new position came about during the last election, when a maintenance worker retired the week before the election, leaving a gap between the retirement and the new hire on June 7.

He said that it will be a good thing, but it doesn’t solve the overall problem with more maintenance help.

He said that there are many projects not getting done in a timely manner because of the understaffing issue and pointed out the gazebo in Josiah White Park, which is “costing us thousands of dollars” because of the lack of maintenance.

“The wagon is broken and part-time is not always the answer,” Ahner said.

“My question to everyone; whether it the three of us or the salary board decision to hire another maintenance and cleaning person,” he said. “Is this extra space self-cleaning or maintenance free for 20 years? My answer is no, there will probably be maintenance the day a new building is open.”

Carbon County is expanding its space to include the newly renovated 76 and 44 Susquehanna St. buildings, as well as the possible acquisition of the former Jim Thorpe Administration Building.

“We have two building to be occupied in the next few months,” Ahner said to his colleagues. “Do we want to be proactive or fall into the same rut?”

He urged his colleagues to take a look at the matter so that they can save taxpayers in the future by repairing things while they only need maintenance instead of waiting until they are broken.

“We have to seriously talk about this,” Ahner said.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein asked the human resources director to put the discussion of the maintenance department on the next salary board executive session for discussion.

Following the discussion, the motion regarding the temporary part-time utility worker for the election department at a rate of $12.31 per hour, effective May 10 passed unanimously.