Carbon retirement fund performing well in first quarter

Carbon County’s retirement portfolio may have had a negative return in 2018, but is performing well in the first quarter of 2019, officials said.

On Thursday, Robert Crampsie, county controller and secretary to the retirement board, told officials that the retirement portfolio gained approximately $1 million during the month of February, bringing the portfolio value to $76,767,554. That is in addition to the over $3 million it gained in January.

“We’re starting off very well,” Crampsie said.

At the end of 2018, the retirement fund stood at $72,068,396, which represented a nearly negative 4 percent return for the year.

In other retirement matters, Sarah Wilson of Marquette Associates, a financial manager for the county’s pension plan, provided an end-of-year report, as well as looking forward to 2019.

She said that goals the company has for the county moving forward to protect its fund in down markets, which may be coming in the next few years, includes education on different types of managers and other options that are available.

— Amy Miller