Carbon County has gone from a $3.3 million deficit to nearly $2 million in the black, Commissioners Chairman Michael Sofranko said Tuesday.

Sofranko credited the turnaround largely to shrinking the county payroll, which has fallen from the third-largest employer in the county to the eighth since he took office three years ago. He delivered the county government update at the 2026 State of the County address, hosted by the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corp. at Blue Mountain Resort.

“Three years ago, I came to you and Carbon County was the third-largest employer in the county,” Sofranko said. “That’s crazy. There’s no way county government can be the third-largest employer in the county. That’s not eliminating jobs. That’s just reinvesting back in the community what we were investing in other places that we didn’t need.”

Carbon created no new positions and has a hiring freeze in place, he said. His goal is to drop county government out of the top 20 employers.

The county borrowed $6 million through a tax anticipation note from Mauch Chunk Trust Co. That loan is being repaid this year.

Carbon also applied for $6 million in grants and about $3 million was awarded last year. U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s office brought in $2.1 million for P25 digital radio systems, plus $6,000 for Toughbook laptops for the sheriff’s office. Other awards covered park improvements, a drone for emergency management, adult probation and victim witness services.

Bridges and buildings

Bridges are the county’s largest unfunded need. Carbon County owns 19 bridges and has flagged four as priorities, including a covered bridge in Lower Towamensing that needs about $120,000 in refurbishment and the Tannery Bridge, which it shares with Luzerne County.

“All of those bridges in Carbon County are going to cost us close to $6 million. We’ve been able to secure $2 million to date,” Sofranko said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but it’s never been addressed before.”

The county also maintains more than 50 roofs across its buildings, pavilions and sheds, and has begun replacing them on a schedule.

“The old story in Carbon County used to be: Do we need a roof? Yes. Is it leaking? By that time, it’s too late,” Sofranko said.

Prison care and opioid funding

At the county correctional facility, 24-hour medical care is being provided for the first time in county history, cutting hospital transports. A new food service contract saves $100,000 a year. Two rooftop heaters are being replaced at a cost of about $250,000.

Of the county’s $17 million in opioid settlement money, Sofranko said the county gives $5,000 to $7,000 a year to every police department running a National Night Out, and $20,000 to $25,000 to every school district. The county has secured $250,000 in blight grants and has $400,000 available for boroughs and townships. It gives about $165,000 a year to the chamber for events and economic development.

Data centers

On data centers, Sofranko said the commissioners would leave the decision to municipalities.

“If one community doesn’t want it, that’s fine. We’ll make sure that the regulations are there, that the proper zoning and planning is done to prevent it,” Sofranko said. “But if another community wants it, and there are studies that show no harm to the surrounding communities, then that’s what that community wants. One thing this county will not do is dictate to you what you need to do in your community.”

Chamber charts its direction

Pat Reilly, CCEDC board president, opened Tuesday’s program with the chamber’s own report.

The past year brought an economic development series on site selection, loan and grant programs and land use, the chamber’s first legislative update, insider tours of major employers including Little Leaf Farms, a Wellness Matters partnership with St. Luke’s Carbon Campus, and a digital bootcamp. The Palmerton Taste Trail returned, and the chamber has worked with Panther Valley communities through the Blueprint Community initiative.

A new strategic plan sets the organization’s direction.

“We want the CCEDC to be a trusted, neutral resource hub for Carbon County,” Reilly said. “Sometimes that means we have the answer. Sometimes it means connecting them with someone who does have the answer, and sometimes it simply means being the place where the right people can have the right conversations.”

That work includes storefronts and blight as much as financing, he said.

“It’s taking an empty storefront and helping someone see an opportunity there, and helping them through the red tape of setting up shop,” Reilly said. “Businesses want to invest in communities where people want to live, visit, work and spend time. Our role is to help connect those dots.”

Coming up

The chamber’s 2027 Economic Outlook is set for Tuesday, Oct. 13. A membership session follows Thursday, Oct. 15. The CCEDC’s annual awards gala, A Night in Tuscany, returns to Blue Mountain Resort on Friday, Nov. 13.