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The Saratoga Town Council appears to be moving forward with plans to address findings from the audit of the 2018/2019 Fiscal Year following a workshop on August 13. As was reported previously (see “What’s the plan?” on page 3 of the August 12 Saratoga Sun), the workshop had been scheduled following questions from Councilmember Jon Nelson to Mayor John Zeiger and Councilmember Judy Welton, who serves as the liaison to Town Hall, about how they believed the findings should be addressed. The audit...
Though the agenda for the August 11 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission was sparse, the entire meeting surrounding Octagon Construction and the company’s development of a subdivision west of Saratoga. Bo and Kristen Stocks, co-owners of Octagon Construction, were joined by Craig Kopasz and Levi Wolfe of Engineering Associates to discuss the preliminary plat for phase two of the subdivision project as well as discuss signage for the development. In the case of Octagon Estates II, the larg...
The August 11 wildfire that burned about two miles outside the town of Hanna did not only burn 106 acres, but was also responsible for the Hanna Town Council being unable to establish a quorum. Councilmember Traci Fowler, who is Hanna Fire Department Fire Chief, and Councilmember Sam Sikes, a volunteer for the fire department, were absent fighting the wildfire outside Hanna proper. Council member Bob Patton was on vacation. One councilmember, Linda Schisel, called in. Mayor Lois Buchanan told...
*Editor's Note* An earlier version of this article listed the time of the workshop as 5 p.m. on August 13. In the days the following the meeting, the time was changed to 4:30 p.m. This article has been updated to reflect those changes. The recently accepted Fiscal Year 2018/2019 was just one of many topics of discussion for the Saratoga Town Council during their August 4 meeting. With Councilmember Bob Keel in attendance, Councilmember Jon Nelson initiated discussion on how the governing body...
Editor, I write this today with a heavy heart to share a decision that has not been easy for me to make but, I find it necessary to withdraw my name for the Saratoga Town Council election. I have heard from so many Saratoga residents who have given support not only verbally but also with their vote and for that I am incredibly grateful. There are still 4 candidates to choose from: Creed James, Danny Burau, Ben Spaulding, and Tasha Worthington. It is our duty as Americans to do research and voice our opinions by voting. Our community is in dire...
The council chambers in Saratoga Town Hall once again served as the battleground for Councilmember Jon Nelson’s continued pursuit for answers in regards to the Town of Saratoga’s finances. During the August 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Nelson reiterated his request for material from town hall and questions in regards to discrepancies between amounts approved by the council and amounts expended by the Town of Saratoga. Additionally, questions surrounded the timeline in which material s...
Moving forward, the Saratoga Town Council will meet an hour later than they have in recent years. The change in time comes following a failed attempt at an ordinance to change the meeting date of the governing body. In addition to changing the time of the town council meetings, the council appointed one of two remaining candidates to the open seat for the remainder of 2020. Time Change On the agenda, under Town Hall, was the first reading of Ordinance 858. The only information provided on the...
At the July 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body voted 3-0 to officially accept the audit of Fiscal Year 2019/2020 by new auditors Carver, Florek and James (CFJ). Councilmember Bob Keel was not in attendance. As was previously reported (see “Audit accepted, questions remain” on page 1 of the July 29 Saratoga Sun), Councilmember Jon Nelson asked Councilmember Judy Welton and Mayor John Zeiger how they proposed to address some of the findings in the audit. Both Welton and Ze...
On July 20, the Valley Service Organization (VSO) hosted the first of two forums as the remaining five of the eight town council candidates gathered at the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) Great Hall. Michael Cooley, John Jump and Steve Heinitz had all withdrawn by the time of the forum. While a handful of potential voters were in attendance, many more tuned in through the Saratoga Sun Facebook Live stream. Due in large part to ongoing issues surrounding the Town of Saratoga, the financial...
UPDATE: Following an executive session in which two candidates, D'Ron Campbell and Michelle Cook, were interviewed the Saratoga Town Council voted unanimously to appoint Campbell to the seat left open by the passing of Councilmember Steve Wilcoxson. Glee Johnson, according to Mayor John Zeiger, had withdrawn her letter of interest prior to the meeting. More than a month since Mayor John Zeiger announced that three candidates for the open seat on the Saratoga Town Council would be interviewed,...
The Planning Commission meeting on July 14, 2020 started with a public hearing regarding the horses on Robert Smith’s property where he runs a bed and breakfast. There had been a nuisance complaint from one of the neighbors who was in attendance citing dust problems and issues with the expansion of the on going business. The Smiths rebutted that the complaint was in retribution for their own complaint to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding an illegal gravel pit. They went on...
At their July 21 meeting, the Saratoga Town Council formally accepted the Fiscal Year 2018/2019 audit from Carver, Florek and James (CFJ) as the 2020/2021 fiscal year begins. Along with the highly anticipated document came additional questions from Councilmember Jon Nelson in regards to the town’s finances. Councilmember Bob Keel was not in attendance as he was “tied up at work” according to Mayor John Zeiger. More or Less? The release of the audit followed the 3-1 approval of a repre...
Trash talk was no small part of the July 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council as the governing body addressed excess refuse near the municipal swimming pool and repeated violations at Family Dollar. Swimming in Trash Under a report from the Saratoga Police Department, Chief Ken Lehr informed the council that trash cans and dumpsters placed around the municipal swimming pool, Hobo Pool and boat ramp were all being overfilled. “Can’t keep up with the garbage down there. I don’t know if you’v...
The date of the 2020 Primary Election draws ever closer and, soon, voters will be going to the ballot to make their choice on who they want to move forward to the General Election to represent them. While there are plenty of choices on the national level—a total of 16 people are running for United States Senate between both Democratic and Republican candidates—the options are far more slim the closer one gets to local government with a few exceptions. In Encampment, three people are running for town council and, in Saratoga, that number has... Full story
In 1870, 50 years before the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote in the United States, Louisa Swain cast the first historic ballot for the general election in Laramie. She was able to vote because of a law passed the year prior in the Wyoming territory giving women over the age of 21 the right to vote and to hold public office. There were actually 93 women that voted that day, but Swain is the only name recorded. Also in 1870, Esther Hobart Morris became the first female justice of the...
The Hanna Town Council met at 6:30 p.m. on July 15 at the Hanna Town Hall. All council members were in attendance along with mayor Lois Buchanan. The agenda and minutes from the June 9 regularly scheduled meeting and the special meeting held on June 23 were approved in a quick manner. Buchanan told the council that the High Country Joint Powers Board (HCJPB) at their last meeting decided to go to with last year’s budget as a blue print for this year’s budget. She asked Ann Calvert, Hanna Tow...
COVID-19 took its toll on the Carbon County Council of Governments’ (CCCOG) meetings for the past four months. The last time the board met was in Rawlins on January 15. CCCOG meets every two months and the March and May meetings were not held due to restrictions set by the state. The meeting was started at 6:30 p.m. on July 15 at the Baggs Community Center. All but Hanna and Medicine Bow had municipalities represented at the meeting. After introductions of attendees, the board approved the a...
Three months after the resignation of Katrina Nuhn from the Town of Encampment’s Department of Public Works, the Encampment Town Council hired a new employee at their rescheduled July 14 meeting. The governing body also approved a pay increase for town employees, the disbursement of funds from the One Percent Specific Purpose Sales and Use Tax (6th penny tax), the transfer of excess funds and ended late fee suspensions. New Employee At the April 9 meeting of the Encampment Town Council, Nuhn h...
The Town of Saratoga and other entities in Carbon County will be receiving their first payouts from the 2019 Specific Purpose Sales and Excise Tax (6th penny tax) totaling $1.5 million. At their July 7 meeting, the Saratoga Town Council read and adopted resolution 2020-09 which authorized the Carbon County treasurer to distribute $1,524,249.26 to “sponsoring entities” while depositing $2 million in an escrow account. “We had a meeting July 1 up at Rawlins and had a number of items that came befo...
When the members of the Saratoga Town Council will convene for their next meeting, it will be in the renamed Steve Wilcoxson Town Council Chambers. On July 7, the council unanimously approved Resolution 2020-08, renaming the council chambers in honor of the late Steve Wilcoxson. Wilcoxson passed away on May 29 in a boating accident on the North Platte River. At the time of his passing, he was serving on the Saratoga Town Council. Elected in 2016 following a write-in campaign during the general...
The Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) met with two attorneys from Corthell and King, the Laramie based law firm selected last month by the SCCIJPB, during their July 8 meeting. At the same meeting, the reappointments of Chairman Richard Raymer and board member Roger Cox were confirmed and the election of officers was held. Corthell and King As was reported previously (see “Water, sewer board engages with attorney” on page 12 of the June 17 Saratoga Sun), members of the...
The Town of Saratoga is one step closer to completing their audit of Fiscal Year 2018/2019 following approval of a representation letter to Carver, Florek and James (CFJ) at the July 7 meeting. The letter was approved on a 3-1 vote, with Councilmember Jon Nelson voting against. As was reported previously (see “Bubble gum, duct tape and pickles” on page 1 of the July 1 Saratoga Sun), third-party accountant James Childress urged the Saratoga Town Council to sign the representation letter from CFJ...
With the start of the 2020/2021 Fiscal Year, the Upper Platte River Solid Waste District (UPRSWDD) has begun to follow through with their intention of handling their own billing for the Saratoga area. At their July 1 meeting, the district board also discussed rates for the Town of Saratoga. Town Rates While, historically, the Town of Saratoga had served as a point of collections for the UPRSWDD, that relationship was effectively terminated prior to the 2019/2020 Fiscal Year when the district...
I hate to admit it, but I must be getting older for my age. While I’ll be turning 34 in October, this July 4 has me feeling sort of like a curmudgeon in regards to the amount of fireworks I heard going off around my neighborhood over the weekend. In one case, fireworks set off at 2 a.m. rocked both my wife and I out of a deep sleep. It seems that the older I get, the more I can understand the frustration that has been felt by dog owners and those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (... Full story
With the Primary Election little more than a month away, Valley residents will have two opportunities to learn more about the candidates that will be appearing on the ballot on August 18. The Valley Service Organization (VSO) will be holding forums later this month for seven candidates for Saratoga Town Council, the five candidates for Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) and the four candidates for House District 47. The council candidates invited to the first forum are Tasha...