Carbon County leaders don't support I-80 tolls

Feb. 26—Carbon County commissioners aren't keen on a plan to toll bridges along Interstate 80 to fund construction projects.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich on Thursday said Pennsylvania residents already pay the highest gas tax in the United States, and feels that state should better use existing funds.

Commissioners Wayne Nothstein and Rocky Ahner also question the move, which would allow tolls on the Interstate 80 bridges over the Lehigh River at the Carbon-Luzerne county line for up to 30 years.

Ahner worried about the average commuter, who has to pay the toll each way to go to work every day.

"It may cost them $8 a day to get to work," he said. "I don't think an employer is going to give an extra $40 a week raise."

According to Ahner, the tolls will force the average driver to seek other routes, which could cause traffic and congestion problems for communities.

Nothstein predicts problems with school bus routes and emergency vehicles if enough traffic diverts to local roads to avoid tolls.

Ahner also questioned why the state needs to impose these tolls for a period of 30 years. Nothstein agreed, saying that once the state imposes the toll, it'll likely remain beyond that time frame.

"It won't go away," he said. "It's going to be permanent. Like it or not."

The state, which anticipates motorists could begin paying tolls in two to three years, will evaluate local impacts, including the effect on minority and low-income populations and traffic from people avoiding the tolls, in the coming months.

The state would use the revenue generated to fund critical interstate and bridge needs, and the I-80 bridge over the Lehigh River is one of those critical projects that needs to be done, according to correspondence the commissioners received from PennDOT.

Elections

Voters will receive an email from the Pennsylvania Department of State regarding mail-in ballot applications. The state is notifying people who signed up to receive mail-in applications annually.

People who want to receive a mail-in ballot for both elections this year should complete the application and return it to the county election office, which is temporarily at 410 Center Ave. in Jim Thorpe.

People who do not want to receive a mail-in ballot can discard the application, but can later request one online up until the deadline at 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election, according to the state.

Voters can also opt out of receiving annual mail-in ballot applications by completing a cancellation form online or by returning the form they receive to the county election office, the state said.

Two weeks ago, Carbon Election Director Lisa Dart said her office was receiving completed applications for mail-in ballots and people were also filling out the cancellation by mistake.

Nothstein noted that many people don't remember signing up for permanent, or annual, mail-in applications, and the amount of mailings from numerous different sources ahead of the presidential election in the fall further confused voters.

The Department of State adds to the confusion by changing the rules ahead of the election, leaving the county elections offices to adapt to the changes and educate the public, he said.

"The hardship is on us," Nothstein said.

Lukasevich noted that the county office just found out that the state made changes to envelopes for the upcoming election. The county already purchased envelopes and processed election material, which now must be undone by employees, he said.

In addition, the county will likely need to purchase additional envelopes due to the changes handed down by the state, Lukasevich said.

Nothstein said the county commissioners, election directors and folks in Harrisburg need to meet and work together.

Contact the writer: kmonitz@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3589