Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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While a nearly two and half hour discussion over a report from James Childress and two executive sessions took up the majority of the Saratoga Town Council meeting on June 23, the governing body also passed two budgetary items on third reading. Ordinance No. 856, an ordinance amending the 2019/2020 Budget, and Ordinance No. 857, an ordinance setting the 2020/2021 Budget, were both passed by a 3-1 vote with Councilmember Jon Nelson voting nay both times. Over the past month,...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved four firework applications during their June 16 meeting, but not without some discussion in regards to equitable enforcement of the process. Applications from Brush Creek Ranch, Old Baldy Club, Seminoe and Randy Arnold were all presented to the commissioners by Fire Warden Ron Brown. Brown informed the BOCCC that he had personally visited each site and that they had passed inspection. His only suggestion was that the...
For the second time this month, the Saratoga Town Council held a special meeting on June 17 as business previously thought addressed in the first special meeting required further attention. As was reported previously (see “Special meeting to special meeting” on page 7 of the June 17 Saratoga Sun), the council had approved an amended representation letter for James Childress of Childress Accounting and Consulting on a 3-1 vote. On June 15, an email sent to council members and...
"I kind of feel like (King) Solomon here with the baby. We've heard a lot of comments to and fro, we've received a lot of comments to and fro and I feel like I'm a fenced turtle on this." This statement from Commissioner John Espy appeared to reflect the thoughts of the entire Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their June 16 meeting in regards to the proposed Saratoga-Ryan Park Museum District. As was reported previously (see "Saratoga-Ryan Park Museum...
At their regular meeting on June 10, the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) read a letter from the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) expressing their concern over funds managed by the Town of Saratoga. The joint powers board also hired a law firm from Laramie to review the agreement between Carbon County and the Town of Saratoga forming the SCCIJPB. Letter from BOCCC “The Carbon County Commissioners were informed that the Town of Saratoga may...
During the June 11 special meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body voted 3-1 to pass Ordinance No. 856, a budget amendment for Fiscal Year 2019/2020, on second reading with Councilmember Jon Nelson casting the lone dissenting vote. The nay vote from Nelson comes following repeated attempts to include the transfer of excess revenues over expenditures in the enterprise funds in the amendment. As was reported previously (see “No second for that motion” on pag...
Dear Editor, Establishing a local museum to preserve our rich history and heritage is hard, but not nearly as tough as maintaining one. A bold statement, yet I feel I can back it up having help found and then maintain both the Saratoga and Grand Encampment Museums since the 1960s. Both museums have been recipients of hundreds of photos, manuscripts, historical items, newspapers, printing presses, pamphlets, programs, treks and funds from the Bob Martin/Dick Perue collection....
The pursuit of a special museum tax district by the Saratoga Museum and Historical Association (Saratoga Museum) has been placed on a temporary hold following the June 2 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). During a public hearing at the regular meeting of the BOCCC, the governing body heard arguments both for and against the establishment of the district. Notably, those speaking out against the district clarified that they were not in direct...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) renewed their contract with Dr. Wayne Couch during their June 2 meeting at the recommendation of Amanda Brown, Carbon County Public Health nurse manager. The renewal of Couch’s contract comes as both the State of Wyoming and Carbon County are emerging from health orders issued in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “We didn’t make any changes from the contract from last year. I talked to him and he’s comfort...
If the amount of candidates who have filed is any indication, the 2020 Primary Election will be one to watch on the national, state and local level. Following the deadline of May 29, a total of 16 candidates will vie for the seat held by Senator Mike Enzi while House District 47 incumbent Jerry Paxton will face three challengers on the Republican ticket. Even the county and municipal elections will see some serious competition with multiple candidates for the Board of Carbon...
The Hanna Town Council had its meeting a little after 6 p.m. on May 12 at the Hanna Town Hall. Prior to the meeting, a public hearing was held for the renewal of liquor licenses for the 2020-2021 year. The were few people in the audience and no person had any comment. The meeting was attended by council members Bob Patton, Sammy Sikes and Linda Schisel, who called in. Council member Tracy Fowler was absent. Mayor Lois Buchanan was present as were town clerk Ann Calvert and tow...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) denied an application for subdivision from the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) on May 5 following a public hearing. The application for subdivision, reviewed by the Carbon County Planning Commission in April, had been for property south of Saratoga between the United States Forest Service and the Whistle Pig. That property, at one time, had been announced as the future site of the North Platte Valley Medical Center....
As has been the case since March, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) received an update on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from Public Health Nurse Manager Amanda Brown on May 5. During that discussion, the BOCCC praised the ongoing response from Carbon County Public Health while expressing frustration with communication from the State of Wyoming. Brown informed the county commissioners that, as of May 5, Carbon County Public Health had been monitoring nearly 70 individuals with symptoms similar to COVID-19....
While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been one of the major focuses of local governments, the advancement of warmer weather following an extensive winter heralds another major issue; potential flooding. The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) received a brief update from Fire Warden Ron Brown as he made his final report as interim Emergency Management Coordinator on May 5. Brown has served as the interim coordinator since July 2019 following the departure of...
Though the 2020 Primary Election may seem to be farther away than it feels, the date of August 18 is rapidly approaching. In addition to this being a presidential election year, there are also a number of state, county and municipal offices that are up for grabs this year as well. May 14 marks the beginning date for those who may be looking to file as a candidate in the upcoming election. On the national level, the seat for United States Senator, a six year term, is up for...
“I think it’s this council’s responsibility to hold the reins on the finances. It’s not the responsibility of our accountant nor, honestly, is it the responsibility of the Town staff.” This comment from Councilmember Jon Nelson came during a heated discussion among members of the Saratoga Town Council during their April 21 meeting. That discussion took up the bulk of the limited meeting and centered around changes made to the Town’s financial statements between February an...
For the second time this month, the ongoing debate over the Town of Saratoga’s finances spilled from the Saratoga Town Council’s chambers and into those of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). At their April 21 meeting, the county commissioners hosted Saratoga mayor John Zeiger, Town of Saratoga legal counsel Tom Thompson and James Childress, the certified public accountant engaged by the Town of Saratoga. As was reported previously (see “Taxation without repre...
During their regularly scheduled April 8 meeting, the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) discussed financials and agreements as it related to ongoing developments with the financial state of the Town of Saratoga. Within that discussion were questions from Councilmember Jon Nelson about whether board members considered water and sewer funds restricted and if the joint powers board would be willing to review and update the joint powers board agreement....
The Saratoga Museum and Historical Association (Saratoga Museum) has acquired enough signatures to follow through with their pursuit of a special tax district. As was reported previously (see “Saratoga Museum pursuing tax district” on page 2 of the February 26 Saratoga Sun), announced their intention to both the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) and the Town of Saratoga at their February 18 meetings. During the April 7 meeting of the BOCCC, Carbon County Clerk Gyw...
Despite the grip that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has on Wyoming, Carbon County is one of the counties with the fewest confirmed cases. As of Monday afternoon, the county had only four confirmed cases. Two of those cases were discovered and treated out of state and three of the cases are fully recovered. While confirmed cases in the county are limited, Carbon County Public Health and the Carbon County COVID-19 Incident Management Team are still preparing for additional co...
“We have people that are not in the town of Saratoga that are receiving benefits from this joint powers board. It’s almost a taxation without representation issue if the Town of Saratoga can take the money and do whatever they want.” This statement from Carbon County Commissioner John Espy came on April 7 as the issue of whether or not enterprise funds held by the Town of Saratoga are considered restricted or unrestricted reached the Board of Carbon County Commi...
As Wyoming continues to try and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) through the public health orders issued by Governor Mark Gordon, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) is concerned about possible blind spots in those orders. During the April 7 meeting of the BOCCC, Kandiz Fritz, Road and Bridge Interim Manager, informed the commissioners that contractors are beginning to arrive in Hanna and Medicine Bow for work on slated wind energy projects....
As the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) makes its way across the globe, Wyoming has been relatively untouched by the disease which originated in Wuhan, China. During their March 3 meeting, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) received an update on the Coronavirus from Nurse Manager Amanda Brown. Brown informed the BOCCC that Carbon County Public Health received weekly updates via phone call from the Wyoming Department of Health. While, to date, there have been no con...
Despite the deceivingly warm temperatures recently, longtime Wyoming residents know that winter’s grip doesn’t let go just because the calendar says that spring is approaching. That goes double for the winter that has been experienced this year in Carbon County. Adding to the amount of snowfall, Carbon County Road & Bridge and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Department have had to deal with motorists and truck drivers stranded on snowbound county roads. As was previously reported...
More than a week after the catastrophic failure of the heating system at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC), CEO Kenneth Harman provided an update to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) at their February 18 meeting. Harman informed the commissioners how the incident occurred, progress on MHCC resuming regular business and what steps were being taken to try and prevent future incidents. According to Harman, heating loss to all of the third floor and...