Carbon County officials passed a 2024 budget with no tax increase, even as one commissioner warned that doing so is only setting up for a larger tax hike in the next few years.

On Thursday, the county commissioners, in a 2-1 vote with Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein casting a no vote, approved the final 2024 budget. It includes $59,207,229 in the general operating fund, $4,452,584 in the capital projects fund and $8,156,441 in the special funds budget.

The millage remains the same, meaning that a homeowner in Carbon County will again pay the same in county taxes as this year.

However, Nothstein voiced his disapproval for the budget, saying that using the general fund balance to offset a tax increase will only cause a problem down the road.

He noted that the county had a $5.3 million deficit again this year, “taking the general fund balance down to just over $1.5 million” with the move in next year’s budget.

“As you saw on the agenda today, we passed how many things that are increases,” Nothstein said. “Health care alone is going to be $550,000 more than last year. We passed another item on the agenda costing $10,000 a year more. We’re looking at a salary increase, which is going to cost a lot of money.

“How can you continuously operate a budget at a deficit of over $5.5 million? I want to remind the public that our income over the years from real estate taxes have not gone anywhere, have not been significant enough to offset the expenditures. This year alone, the projected revenue is only $168,000 more to pay all these additional expenses. ... I cannot see us continuously spending all that money.”

Nothstein argued that by not putting slight quarter or half mill increase in the budget over a few year period, it is only going to hurt the taxpayer when a large tax hike is needed.

Commissioners Chris Lukasevich and Rocky Ahner saw it differently, citing the need to wrangle in spending, while also not forcing tax increases on residents when there is a padded fund balance.

Lukasevich said that the budget “is a budget that needed to be passed” even though he had some reservations on the capital projects fund. “It’s a budget that I’m comfortable saying did not, in this year, need a tax increase.”

He added that taxpayers will need to look at things as a tax increase in the next few years is “imminent,” however, at this time, was not necessary because of the fund balance that seemed excessive.

Ahner again voiced his thoughts on the need for better salaries for the employees instead of paying hundreds of thousands extra on various projects.

He added that he can’t see taxing the residents and wasting money, noting that the county needs to “put the brakes on overspending.”

“It’s time that we sit down here and quit wasting money and putting it on the taxpayers,” Ahner said.

Since 2024 brings in a new board, the new commissioners, which comprises of Nothstein and Ahner, as well as Michael Sofranko, will have the option to reopen the budget if the majority feels it is necessary.

The new board will be sworn in on Jan. 2. A reorganizational meeting of the commissioners will then take place at 2 p.m. on Jan. 2 ahead of the annual salary board meeting.