Carbon County employees will see an increase in pay in 2026, while officials work to cut back on vacant positions to help offset the raises.

During the annual salary board meeting on Monday afternoon, the board approved a 2.5% raise for all non-union county employees. The board also approved increases for various unions that had been laid out in previously approved contracts.

The commissioners said that while this was a tough budget, with the state draining coffers for months because of the stalemate, they made sure a raise was included for county employees who work tirelessly to do what needs to get done for their offices.

Within the motions, a total of 14 positions in various departments were abolished. These positions were vacant so no employee lost their job, but staff within those offices absorbed the duties of that abolished position.

The board thanked department heads, row officers and the affected staff for working with the board on the changes. Overall, the county will save approximately $650,000 to $700,000 from the positions if they would have been filled.

The estimate provided by Jeff Weiss, the county financial representative, was based on if the positions were filled plus benefit packages that would have been needed.

“I hope the public sees what we’ve done in the budget here with trying to save money,” said Commissioner Rocky Ahner. “I think our direction is trying to get our employees more money and I think by trying to save dollars, whether it is one ream of paper or maybe one less travel, then we can put that towards the employees’ salaries.”

Commissioners’ Chairman Mike Sofranko stressed that these positions that were abolished had already been agreed upon last year by the departments and were current factors within this year’s budget; again noting that the positions were vacant and no personnel were cut.

“We appreciate all those departments and elected officials that have worked with us on eliminating positions,” he said.

Counties are required to meet the first Monday of the new year to set salaries for county departments for the year.

Elected official raises however, are not included in these actions. Those raises are decided several years earlier so that an elected official is not voting directly on their raises during a current term.