Carbon County Weekly Brief

Tracking taxes, policy, and power.

Week of March 2, 2026

• Penn Forest Township supervisors approved a new data center ordinance during a well-attended meeting at Penn’s Peak, following months of discussion and revisions. The ordinance establishes a data center overlay district covering about 750 acres along Route 903 near Maury Road, where such facilities could be permitted through conditional use. It includes multiple requirements and safeguards, such as a water feasibility study, aquifer impact analysis, and well testing for nearby property owners within 3,000 feet. Additional standards address setbacks, vegetative buffers, limits on noise, light and waste, and requirements for emergency management and eventual decommissioning plans. Some residents voiced concerns about water availability, environmental impacts and wildlife in the area, while officials said the ordinance was designed to be legally defensible and regulate potential development. A developer has expressed interest in purchasing the site for a proposed data center, though the ordinance itself does not approve any specific project. 

  
  

• Nesquehoning Borough Council addressed several administrative and community matters at their most recent meeting. Council approved two resolutions appointing sewer enforcement officers and establishing related fees, along with adopting the borough’s 2026 Uniform Construction Code fee schedule. Officials also noted that the company Bitfarms Ltd. offered assistance to the borough by providing labor to repair the borough’s front-end loader while the borough pays for the parts. In addition, council members expressed appreciation to borough employees, street crews and fire police for their work during January’s winter storms. The borough also announced openings on several boards, including an alternate position on the zoning hearing board, and reopened applications for a full-time police officer after the initial round of applicants did not meet the required qualifications.

  
  

• Lansford Borough officials are considering changing the way residents are billed for garbage collection in an effort to reduce costs and streamline administration. The borough currently sends quarterly bills, which cost more than $11,000 annually in mailing expenses. Treasurer Maria Ahner suggested switching to semiannual billing, which could save about $5,544 per year in postage and an additional $2,000 to $3,500 in administrative costs by reducing staff processing time. Under the proposal, residents would receive bills twice a year—in January and June—but could still choose to pay monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually to make payments more manageable, particularly for those on fixed incomes. Officials also noted that the borough now accepts online and credit card payments and may consider combining garbage and sewer billing in the future.

  
  

• Weissport Borough Council currently has an open seat after a council member resigned. Officials are looking for someone interested in filling the position. The council also changed its meeting format so that the first Monday of each month will remain the regular meeting, while the third Monday will now be a workshop where topics can be discussed but no official votes will take place. Other topics discussed included plans for a church to host free “Movies in the Park” events during the summer, the borough’s continued search for a police officer, and the possibility of Lehighton officers providing patrols at an hourly cost. In addition, public works will repair a damaged fence and replace borough signs, while officials are addressing property maintenance issues by issuing quality-of-life tickets. Council also approved moving funds to help pay for a sewer system repair and transferring unused money from a playground account into the general fund.

  
  

• Carbon County officials are working to strengthen opioid treatment services for inmates at the county correctional facility through agreements with the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug & Alcohol Commission. The commissioners approved two contracts totaling about $149,950 to provide drug and alcohol treatment programs for inmates dealing with substance abuse or opioid use disorder. They also approved a separate contract worth $53,582 to fund a treatment court coordinator, which will be paid using money from the national opioid settlement. County leaders said the contracts were updated with input from the courts to better match current practices, although the district attorney expressed concerns that the revisions do not clearly define responsibilities or how services will be monitored. Officials are also considering expanding treatment at the prison by creating a more intensive rehabilitation program and possibly building additional space for counseling services, which they hope will help people recover and return to the community successfully.