Jim Thorpe has become a tourist destination with extensive reach.

Each year, thousands of visitors come to the picturesque, Victorian town to take in the historical sites, as well as all the recreational opportunities.

Because of that, Carbon County’s parking fund has also grown, providing a cushion for projects related to the parking lot areas the county maintains.

However, the board of commissioners said some of that money collected from visitors could be used to help daily operations.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said that he would be in favor of utilizing a portion of it, but noted that a resolution should be acted on allowing a certain percentage to be used for other items. Funds would be needed for the county owned parks and parking areas, which would help keep taxes down.

“I just want to ensure that we’re not raiding the parking fund when we’re potentially acting irresponsibly when it comes to the budget,” Lukasevich said, adding that there are a lot of positives that go along with tourism booming in Jim Thorpe.

Positives include the parking revenue and the hotel tax money that comes back to Carbon County, which allows officials to increase or maintain services.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein agreed that a certain percentage coming out of that fund to be used toward operations, because that lot is used, not only for visitors, but for jury duty and court cases and other county-related business.