Carbon County officials want to remind municipalities of a fund that is available to help fight blight in a community.

Recorder of Deeds Donna Gentile recently reported that her office has collected approximately $85,000 in fees to use toward helping to cover demolition costs of blighted properties in the county. The money is collected as part of a $15 fee attached to all deeds and mortgages recorded through Gentile’s office.

“This account was started for demolition,” Commissioners’ Chairman Mike Sofranko said. “We heard there was a huge blight problem ... and now we’re looking to spend this money.”

Carbon County also has $250,000 in grant money secured by state Sen. David Argall to be used for the same purpose.

That means that currently, approximately $335,000 is available to municipalities looking to apply for funding to help cover costs for demolition of a blighted property. There is a 50% match with a maximum amount award of $50,000.

“There’s money there to give out,” Sofranko said.

Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:

• The property must be in public ownership through a municipality that can demolition the building and has the ability to impose a lien to recover costs.

• The property must qualify as blighted as outlined in the guidelines, including being a public nuisance; in need of substantial rehabilitation; is unfit for human habitation; is a severe risk of fire and danger to surrounding properties; is subject to unauthorized entry leading to potential health and safety risks; poses a risk to children; attracts vermin due to the deterioration; and negatively affects the economic well-being of the community.

• The property must also be located within Carbon County, be vacant, have documentation showing that it is a blighted, as well as legal or code enforcement reports showing that all attempts at rectifying the matter have been exhausted.

• Municipalities must have an approved blight plan in place.

To date, only one municipality has contacted the county regarding funding through the program, David Bodnar, director of the Carbon County Office of Planning and Development, said Friday.

“The planning office is available to help municipalities with securing matching funds if needed,” Bodnar said. “We are currently asking that municipalities send us information on blighted property that are vacant at this time that they would like to have demolished regardless of matching funding. Regardless as to whether the municipalities have matching funds or not the Planning Office is still asking that they provide us with blighted vacant properties that need to be demolished.”

For more information, municipalities should call the office at 570-325-3671. Municipalities can also find the application on the county website at www.carboncountypa.gov/services. Click on Planning and Development.

The request for the fee to be implemented came in 2023 from then Nesquehoning Borough Councilwoman Abbie Guardiani, who was spearheading a newly formed county blight committee.

At that time, she asked why the county does not participate in Act 152, which allows for the fee per deed recorded.

Later that year, the commissioners approved starting that fund, officially adding it to the fees collected by the recorder of deeds office in 2024.

In 2025, the board officially adopted the new demolition funds program guidelines in the hopes of helping municipalities take down buildings that have deteriorated beyond repair.

At that time, they explained that the program purpose is designed to eliminate blight influences in a community, as well as the potential health and safety hazards that are caused by these properties; reduce the reside of crime by removing vacant buildings that can be used for criminal activity and increase the value of adjacent properties.