Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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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 (se...
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...
“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 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...
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 d...
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),...
Imagine: citrus trees growing in Medicine Bow, Wyoming all year round. As unlikely as this might sound, Kani and Lyle Flansburg believe it possible and are taking the steps to make this unlikely scenario a reality. They have already built a greenhouse in Medicine Bow that is the beginning of this citrus growing world. "We have started a small permaculture design, food forest and sustainable agriculture demonstration business, WyOasis, LLC," Kani said. For those who don't know...
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...
As concerns over novel coronavirus (COVID-19) lead to closures of government offices, businesses and schools the Saratoga Sun will strive to keep our readers informed with as much up-to-date information as possible. Please make sure to check this page on a regular basis for updates as they come. *UPDATE* 03/19/2020 5 p.m. - Governor Mark Gordon issued a statewide closure order of all public spaces until April 3. This includes schools, museums, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, coffee shops, self-service buffets, salad bars,...
Following the announcement of Wyoming's first confirmed case of COVID-19 on the evening of March 11, events moved rather quickly as the Cowboy State began to make preparations to deal with the novel coronavirus. As the number of confirmed cases increased from one person in Sheridan County, measures were taken in attempts to prevent the spread of the virus. On Sunday evening, an announcement from Governor Mark Gordon and State Superintendent Jillian Balow recommended that schoo...
Mayor Leroy Stephenson attended the Riverside Town Council meeting on March 11 via phone conference. It was a short meeting over all. Helen Weiland, South Central Wyoming EMS Joint Powers Board representative, relayed that their meeting had been canceled last month due to storms. The meeting was rescheduled for Monday in Saratoga. As previously reported on February 19, “SCWEMS update”, SCWEMS had hired a paramedic. However, the State of Wyoming still has not approved her lic...
After the financials were read and approved during the Encampment Town Council meeting on March 11, the floor was opened to guests attending the meeting. Josh Saier and Crystal Gillen of the Sierra Madre Muzzleloaders made a request for use of the Encampment Museum grounds for the Rendezvous and the Marion Baker Invitational as well as a request for a $500 donation. A motion was passed to allow the use of the Museum grounds and donation with many thanks all around for a great...
Bob Smith, owner of the Roan Hill Ranch Guesthouse was represented at the March 10th Planning Commission meeting by legal council, Jon Schnal who moved to dismiss a complaint regarding horse nuisance. Mr. Schnal said the complaint had a lack of merit and was baseless. For almost 11 years, the ranch has been in operation and the horses have been an integral part of the operation. The special use permit for the operation of a guesthouse has been renewed by the town several times...
The Medicine Bow Town Council met at 7 p.m. on March 8 at the Medicine Bow Community Hall. The room was packed with seats hard to come by. Mayor Sharon Biamon, councilmember Trevor Strauch and councilmember Lyle Flansburg were in attendance. It was business as usual as the agenda was approved as were the minutes from the regularly scheduled meeting of February 10 and a special meeting held on February 26. The financials were the next item to be approved. Liz Ellis of the...
The Hanna Town Council met at 6 p.m. on March 10 at the Hanna Town Hall. The agenda and minutes from February 11 were quickly approved and the council went into board and department reports. The first report was from the chairman of the High Country Joint Powers Board (HCJPB). Toby Smith said that, after the regularly scheduled meeting on March 5, it was realized that the cost of the convenience center at the landfill in Hanna was going to cost approximately $420,000 versus th...
Following James Childress’ appearance before the Saratoga Town Council on February 18, it appeared as if there were some answers to the questions that have been plaguing the Saratoga Town Council since receiving the 2017/2018 audit last year. During the March 3 meeting of the governing body, however, it appears that there are even more questions to be answered following a February 28 email from Childress. In addition to the email serving as a catalyst for a dissenting vote o...
“First, I need to elaborate that there has been an issue sleeping behind the scenes for the Town for quite some time. Namely, the adjustments from the auditors have simply never been made in the accounting records of the Town.” A February 28 email from James Childress, the Cheyenne-based certified public accountant engaged by the Town of Saratoga, served as the catalyst during the March 3 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council for Councilmember Jon Nelson to vote against app...
Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) High School Principal Steve Priest and Hanna Elementary School Principal Jason Greenway provided updates to the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Board of Trustees at their February 19 meeting on issues of subsidence surrounding their respective schools. Hanna Elementary School and the football field at HEM both sit above Mine No. 4, which was closed and filled with a sand slurry in the 1980s. Over the past 30 years, however, t...
“If we just think something has happened and we don’t know more about it, then we’re talking about a significant amount of cost and a significant amount of time to tell people that nothing has happened there.” Following months of questions about the Town of Saratoga’s financial health and the status of several fund balances, there seemed to be some answers as James Childress appeared before the Saratoga Town Council on February 18. Originally engaged by the governing...
The Saratoga Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) has cleared all initial hurdles in applying for a loan and grant program from the Wyoming Business Council (WBC). As was reported previously (see “Tapping into town services” on page 3 of the December 18, 2019 Saratoga Sun), Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) Chairman Will Faust had approached the joint powers board about sponsoring the non-profit group for funding from the WBC. Following a public hearing bef...
The Medicine Bow Town Council met at 7 p.m. on February 10 at the Medicine Bow Community Hall. Mayor Sharon Biamon and all council members were in attendance. Before the minutes from the meeting of January 13 could be approved, resident Troy Maddox said he would like to correct the record. He said, in the January 13 meeting, it had been stated by Kenda Colman that he had been contacted by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) about keeping pigs and had been told he...
The Saratoga Museum and Historical Society (Saratoga Museum) is beginning to follow through with steps to form a special museum tax district. At the February 10 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett informed the commissioners of the Saratoga Museum’s intent. Members of the Saratoga Museum board appeared before the Saratoga Town Council on February 18 to inform the governing body of the process. Connie Patterson, board p...
In the state of Wyoming, executive sessions are not uncommon when it comes to public meetings of governing bodies. Indeed, the Wyoming State Statute allows city, county, state and local powers to enter an executive session to discuss a variety of issues ranging from discussion of personnel to matters of litigation or national security. Both the current and previous incarnations of the Saratoga Town Council have used their right to executive session, often remarking that no...
The Hanna Town Council met at 6 p.m. on February 11 at the Hanna Town Hall. All members of the council and mayor were present. The agenda was approved after it was amended to show that Carbon County Fire Warden John Rutherford would not be making the meeting due to road conditions on US 30. After the agenda was approved, the minutes for the regular meeting of January 18 and special meeting on January 28 were approved. Mayor Lois Buchanan gave a quick overview of the public...
At the February 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body discussed two letters of engagement that had been presented from James Childress, an outside accountant the Town of Saratoga had engaged with in September 2019. While the letters had originally been presented at the January 21 meeting, the majority of the council felt that the letters were too vague in scope. To address those concerns, the council had directed legal counsel Tom Thompson to write a...
