Changes to the bylaws of the Pocono Counties Workforce Board were not accepted in Carbon County.

During the county commissioners meeting on Thursday, the board voted 3-0 against approving the program’s updated bylaws, which included a change in the governance of the program to the status of a nonprofit.

After the meeting, the commissioners explained why they were not in favor of such a move.

“By going to a 501(c) 3, that would limit the number of representatives of commissioners they have on the board,” commissioners’ Chairman Mike Sofranko said, adding that the board is comprised of 12 representatives from Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties.

The Pocono Counties Workforce Development Board provides the four counties with training and workforce development for the region. As part of the agreement, Carbon County oversees the funding aspect of the board and how federal and state funds are utilized.

“Even if there was a board there and we sanctioned it, if something was not done correctly and funding becomes an issue, we are ultimately responsible to make that up,” he said. “So if you’re going to have us held responsible, which we would be, then I think we need to make sure we’re all at the table.”

The board noted that if the four-county board went to a nonprofit status, members have been told that the move would enable the region to generate more money.

“While we generate more money, we seem to have issues spending the money we currently have for our workforce development,” Sofranko said, adding that he feels the board is a little bit backward. “Employers should be coming to us and asking us to help them, not us going to employers asking to help them. That is a concern that we had.”

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein brought up other concerns, including the money being used on current staffing levels increasing instead of developing the workforce.

Another concern the board raised was that the commissioners were told this move would limit liability; however, a liability is a liability.

“That just seemed to be a play on words and we have some serious concerns about that,” Nothstein said.

Carbon County is the first of the four counties to act on the matter, the commissioners said, adding that they believe the other three counties will take some form of action within the next month or so.

It will take a majority of the counties to move the request forward.