The Carbon County Commissioners differed in views on several motions that called for various procedural considerations that would look into the way the county operates.

On Thursday’s agenda, there were several motions that Commissioner Chris Lukasevich made during his first meeting as commissioner last year but had failed at the time, including establishing a working group to develop a concept for a recurring biannual state of the county report; developing a policy to invite municipal elected officials to present an annual state of the municipality to the board during public meetings; re-evaluating the terms of the hotel occupancy tax with Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and other participating entities; changes to fund requests; eliminating the county’s P.O. boxes and more.

One motion that drew much discussion was to complete an assessment to see if it would be a viable option of an annually increasing 0.25-mill a year county property senior citizen tax rebate for homeowners 66 and older who have paid county property taxes for a minimum of 10 years and currently own a home as their primary residence in Carbon County. The motion died for lack of a second.

Lukasevich said the assessment would just see if this option would be doable.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said a motion is not needed to look into this matter. However Lukasevich said action on the motion would put on record “that we are committed to the senior citizens.”

He said that 21 percent of the approximately 65,000 residents in Carbon County are senior citizens, with 14,000 who are 65 or older. Of that amount, 75 percent are homeowners and pay an average of about $867 in property taxes to Carbon County.

“The program that I am asking to be considered to be reviewed and looked at for viability, this is an assessment. This would give seniors $18.95 a year,” he said, based on the average life expectancy of a resident in Carbon County is 78. It would equate to about a $1,200 rebate over a person’s life.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said he didn’t mind the idea but thought the county was waiting on the newest census data and would go from there.

He questioned the criteria for the assessment, but said he thought it was something the county could look into in the future.

Other motions:

• Approved establishing a working group composed of representatives from county departments, row offices and the courts to develop a concept and associated template for a recurring biannual state of the county report, beginning January 2022.

• Motion failed 2-1 to develop a policy of invitation that formally requests municipality elected officials to attend and present annual State of the Municipality updates to the commissioners during its weekly public meetings.

• Motion died for lack of a second for the Carbon County Board of Commissioners to re-evaluate the terms of ACT 18/Hotel Occupancy Tax contract between the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau, Carbon County Chamber and Economic Development Corporation and the Government of Carbon County.

• An amended motion passed 2-1 with Ahner casting the sole no vote to have the director of human resources, provide options for an organization and workplace climate survey, by Dec. 31, 2021, in consultation with employee union representatives, the court administrator, row officers and department directors.

• Motion died for lack of a second to create a group to assess the viability and develop a road map for the gradual elimination of nonessential Carbon County government’s 23 post office boxes at the U.S. Post Office, Jim Thorpe, which costs the taxpayer in excess of $55,000 a year.