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Over the past several years, Saratoga Lake has arguably been one of the recreational destinations of the area. Aside from being host for the annual Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby for nearly 40 years, Sandy Beach has served as a summer recreation spot. Along with the recreation, however, comes litter. At the May 19 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Councilmember Bob Keel informed the council of efforts he had recently undertaken to clean the location. "With the quarantine in place and with...
In March, the Town of Saratoga responded to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by closing town hall to appointment only and limiting meetings of the Saratoga Town Council to 10 people or less. While government business has been exempt from the health orders issued by Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Alexia Harrist, local governments throughout Wyoming have still taken precautions. Since then, meetings of the Saratoga Town Council in March, April and May have been livestreamed by the...
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 town treasure Pam Paul...
The Airport Board meeting on Wednesday, May 13 2020 was a little over two hours long in which time, many topics were discussed but not many decisions were actually made. One thing that was decided,was how to use part of the $30,000 allocation from the CARE act, the coronavirus economic relief plan. The grant was submitted for the purpose of operation and maintenance. There is a concern with animals, such as deer, getting into the runway area. The fence surrounding the airport is in need of...
by Joshua Wood Though there was a complete agenda for the first time in several weeks, the regular meeting of the Saratoga Town Council on May 5 was relatively short. With all business concluded in under 30 minutes, most of the discussion had by Saratoga’s governing body pertained to the Saratoga Municipal Airport and the Saratoga Airport Advisory Board. In the absence of Mayor John Zeiger, Councilmember Steve Wilcoxson served as Mayor Pro-Tem. Saratoga CARES One of the major items of b...
The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses. ~ Malcolm X If meetings of the Saratoga Town Council were being conducted normally, one would have seen this quote from Malcolm X, a civil rights leader and spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, posted as they headed towards council chambers. While we certainly could try and take the time to delve into the context of this quote, we at the Saratoga Sun feel... Full story
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 former Emergency...
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. Recently, however, it...
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 grabs as Senator Mike...
Dear Editor, Well, here I go again, or should I say here we go again. I stood in front of the last administration in August 2017 and told the town council then they had a terrible track record of failed or incomplete projects at considerable financial loss to the Town of Saratoga. At that time, I read Suzie Cox’s internal memo (town being financially broke) for the record during the meeting. Now it’s 2020 and a new administration, except it’s really an older administration repurposed for a third term in office. Business as usual. And what this...
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 representation?” on page...
“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 and March. Notably, th...
With a little more than two months until the end of the current fiscal year, the Saratoga Town Council held their first budget workshop for Fiscal Year 2020/2021. The workshop was in stark contrast to the workshops from years past in which the governing body and department heads all gathered around the table and discussed the budget line item by line item. Due to the ongoing concerns over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the council members sat strategically in the council chambers to ensure...
At the Saratoga Town Council’s first budget workshop for the 2020/2021 fiscal year, Councilmember Steve Wilcoxson prefaced the budget discussion by asking for the governing body to consider reducing the cost of liquor licenses for Angus England American Legion Post 54. According to Wilcoxson, who is a member of the American Legion, other such places in the state pay approximately $500 for their liquor license while, in Saratoga, a fee of $1,500 is paid. Wilcoxson added that, if the liquor l...
The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) met by teleconference at 10 a.m. on April 15 for their monthly meeting. The meeting had been scheduled to be held in Hanna but, due to social distancing, the meeting was held by phone and online. The agenda, minutes and financials were approved in a timely manner. It was noted that the downturn in lodging tax had not been felt in all municipalities in March’s figures. Carbon County and Medicine Bow were ahead of last year’s numbers collected. Raw...
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. Restricted Funds As...
During the first budget workshop for the Town of Saratoga on April 17, the Saratoga Town Council discussed needs for both the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) and the Saratoga Police Department. Both departments expressed a need for updated vehicles, but only one department currently has the funds available for such a purchase. Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department SVFD Treasurer Creed James represented the fire department as he appeared before the council to explain the proposed budget....
by Joshua Wood The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Board of Trustees is facing a dilemma of land ownership after receiving information that the current lessee of property in Medicine Bow is not interested in renewing their lease for another year. Currently, property owned by the district surrounding the old Medicine Bow High School is leased to MedBow Lodging, LLC. There are approximately 10 contractors staying on the property at the moment. As was previously reported, (see...
“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 Commissioners. As was reported previ...
The issue of whether or not to pay the full amount of a bill received by the Town of Saratoga from Childress Accounting and Consulting was just one of multiple discussions in the shortened meeting of the governing body on April 7. While the paying of the bills is often a routine matter for most boards, councils and commissions, it has not been uncommon for there to be dissenting votes from members of the Saratoga Town Council. Following a reading of the account payable in the amount of $109,914...
While the Saratoga Police Department is hoping to obtain funds from a Mineral Royalties Grant (MRG) through the State Lands and Investments Board (SLIB) for two new vehicles, they will be adding a used one following the April 7 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. At the regular meeting of the governing body, a new resolution was passed for the MRG application and lengthy discussion was held on the purchase of the used truck. New, Old Resolution As was reported previously (see “Talking ‘bout a...
Dear Editor, Our world is dealing with an unprecedented time that has not been seen in generations, if ever. We are being asked to do things we would never consider as normal–social distancing being the most prominent. There is no one immune from this. It is a global issue. We all see the news showing how the numbers of those infected and having died from this virus continues to grow exponentially on a daily, or even hourly, basis. That said, those of us in Wyoming, and Carbon County in particular, have opportunities to deal with this better t...
As the date for the closure of the landfill outside Saratoga gets ever closer, the Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) may finally have a direction in how to proceed with their dead animal pit. The question of what to do once the dead animal pit at the Saratoga site is closed has plagued the UPRSWDD board for nearly three years. With concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the temporary closure of Saratoga Town Hall to ancillary boards and...
With the emphasis that has been placed on the importance of social distancing, and with one of three public health orders prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more people, this may leave regular attendees of meetings wondering how to attend. While the order forbidding gatherings of 10 or more people specifically exempts government business, boards and councils throughout the state have worked to find ways to promote social distancing. According to Wyoming State Statute 16-4-403(a), “all meetings of t... Full story
Unlike more recent meetings of the Saratoga Town Council, the March 17 meeting of the governing body was under 30 minutes due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite the shortness of the meeting and the limited agenda, there was still plenty of discussion within that half hour. That discussion came as the town council was informed that they needed to place priority on two Mineral Resource Grant (MRG) applications submitted by the Town. One was submitted by the...