Carbon County Commissioner

Garrett Irene ®

P.O. Box 8

Elk Mountain, WY 82324

[email protected]

1. Over the past few elections, there seems to have been confusion as to what a county commissioner can and cannot do. Can you summarize what authority a commissioner has?
2. A County commissioners job has a ton of tasks and responsibilities. Their main job is overseeing the operation and administration of the county. One of the hardest jobs a county commissioner has is running the county’s budget. This is a stressful part of a commissioner job. As a commissioner you want to give adequate funding to everyone in the county, but the money never goes far enough to reach everyone to 100 percent of the time.
3. The past several years have seen a lot of wind energy projects coming into Carbon County with some people wondering where the threshold is. Do you think Carbon County is close to being saturated with such projects? Why or why not??A. I believe there is still come possible grown in the county for wind and solar. But that all depends on what people want. There was a county land use survey that went around this year and it will update the land use plan for the county. It’s important as a commissioner that you follow that land use plan. It’s important because people took surveys and that’s what the people of carbon county want. I could see possibly wind growth, but we need to listen to what the people of carbon county want. ??Q. Budgeting is a concern for every political subdivision and the County is no different. Could you explain what your thought process would be when it would come to trying to find cuts to make to a budget which has already been described as “bare bones?”
4. This year we had to cut the budget a ton like $2 million. Most of the budget is bare bones. Thinking of where to cut next would be tough. Everyone got cut a minimum of 7 percent this year. I don’t know how we could cut much more, and I definitely pray that the revenue increases this next year. I believe if it does increase we need to look and giving raises to the county employees. They all do such wonderful jobs and we are all blessed to have them working for our county government.

Gwynn Bartlett ®

P.O. Box 1385

Rawlins, WY 82301

(307) 321-4587

[email protected]

1. Over the past few elections, there seems to have been confusion as to what a county commissioner can and cannot do. Can you summarize what authority a commissioner has?
2. A county commissioner’s role in county government is somewhat limited. As the current County Clerk for 18 years coupled with my total 27 years in the Clerk’s Office and the fact that I’ve attended most commission meetings in person for 21 years and serve as their secretary, I am intimately familiar with what a commissioner does and does not have authority over, and the time commitment involved in the job.

The Board of County Commissioners should not act independently of one another and as a unit has authority to approve the countywide budget including setting mill levies for special districts, developing and implementing long-term planning and zoning, hiring and firing of their direct reporting employees (i.e. Road & Bridge Coordinator, Emergency Manager, Building Manager, Planning Director), the responsibility to maintain county roads and county-owned property, a role in emergencies primarily though emergency management and preparedness, cooperation with federal and state agencies on various topics and while not statutorily, I feel they have the responsibility to support department heads, elected officials and employees to help them be successful in serving the public.

1. The past several years have seen a lot of wind energy projects coming into Carbon County with some people wondering where the threshold is. Do you think Carbon County is close to being saturated with such projects? Why or why not?
2. Not necessarily. I believe each project should be considered as applications are made and each should be evaluated to ensure it is economically viable, can comply with all regulations, and can mitigate any impacts along with a solid decommissioning plan in place after a project has completed its useful life. The Board should follow its own regulations when considering such applications.

Most importantly I think the commission should heavily weigh the benefits of each project and input received from the constituents. Protecting our resources, wildlife and way of life should be priority.

The county must also make sure it receives the benefits of all projects, not only through impact assistance for larger projects but also various types of taxes and ensuring each company and its subcontractors are paying sales tax and that those dollars are paid to Carbon County where the impacts are and not another county. This can be done through lobbying for legislation to require tax at the material’s final destination rather than where delivery is made.

1. Budgeting is a concern for every political subdivision and the County is no different. Could you explain what your thought process would be when it would come to trying to find cuts to make to a budget which has already been described as “bare bones?”
2. This is something I personally have been dealing with as County Clerk for 18 years. Along with the Board of County Commissioners, we review past budgets for comparisons to current requests, ask departments to develop long-term plans through submitting capital budget requests annually with rankings. This helps the to know the urgent needs compared with those that could wait 2-3 years or even longer. Having that data allows for the necessary long-term planning to try to invest in reserves to fund those projects and needs. Reviewing the impacts, including future costs, should requests not be funded is important as well. Deferred maintenance can be extremely costly and sometimes cost prohibitive years later with inflation and other factors. It’s truly a balancing act, and a tough one and commissioners must be willing to adapt to changing needs as well.

I am fiscally conservative and in fact have cut staff in the Clerk’s Office from 15 to 6 through not filing open positions, accomplishing more with less!

Finally, no department should ever be immune from cuts. If there were to be waste or frivolous requests, even small amounts, those would obviously be the first things to go however in my experience departments do not request such things.

Jimmy Hinkle ®

2629 Cutty Sark Boulevard

Rawlins, WY 82301

(307) 329-8852

[email protected]

1. Over the past few elections, there seems to have been confusion as to what a county commissioner can and cannot do. Can you summarize what authority a commissioner has?
2. Counties are political subdivisions of the State, charged with providing services to citizens at the local level. Commissioners have the authority to approve budgets and make decisions regarding potential revenue streams (projects) as well as how funds should be spent. Commissioners are responsible for the care and maintenance of county roads, bridges, and other infrastructure such as the courthouse and other county owned buildings. Commissioners are authorized to promote public health, safety, and general welfare of our citizens through planning and zoning, emergency preparedness, and are statutorily required to have a comprehensive land use plan. Commissioners provide local insight into the Federal Government by serving as a Federal Cooperating Agency.
3. The past several years have seen a lot of wind energy projects coming into Carbon County with some people wondering where the threshold is. Do you think Carbon County is close to being saturated with such projects? Why or why not?
4. In my opinion, yes. I think the citizens of our county are quickly tiring of seeing wind turbines filling more and more of our landscape. These projects detract from the natural beauty of our county. There is a stark contrast between the size and color of the turbines from the countryside and citizens are forced to look at this scene every day. There is not a direct, tangible benefit that we can see or feel such as access benefits to public land or a reduction in our electric bills. We are estimated to receive $900,000.00 in revenue from these projects. While there is certainly value in that number, I cannot say I believe adding additional turbines to our county is worth it. From an industry perspective, I do think wind energy companies will continue to pursue Carbon County for additional projects due to the abundance of wind and open spaces and this will be a topic that the Commissioners will need to work with citizens and landowners alike to evaluate the cost benefit of adding more turbines to our county.
5. Budgeting is a concern for every political subdivision and the County is no different. Could you explain what your thought process would be when it would come to trying to find cuts to make to a budget which has already been described as “bare bones?”
6. First, all aspects of the county budget are important. While no one wants to see any area of a budget cut, the hard reality is fluctuating revenues and rising costs often result in these types of difficult decisions. I would prioritize the budget by first ensuring items required by State Statute are funded, meeting our legal obligation to provide services such as law enforcement, fire, health services, road and bridge, and other essential county operations that must exist to provide base infrastructure (i.e. Clerk, Treasurer, Courthouse, land offices.) Once basic needs are covered, priorities would then be made on capital projects and entertainment-based departments.

John Espy ®

906 13th Street

Rawlins, WY 82301

[email protected]

1. Over the past few elections, there seems to have been confusion as to what a county commissioner can and cannot do. Can you summarize what authority a commissioner has?
2. In the state of Wyoming, counties are under Dillon rule. Dillion Rule means commissioners only have the authority that is granted to us by the Wyoming State Legislature. Counties provide the administrative functions of state government, and the job of the commissioners is to make sure that that function is taken care of. To me, the most important job for the commissioners is providing a balanced budget that supports all the other elected officials and the department heads allowing the county to function most effectively.
3. The past several years have seen a lot of wind energy projects coming into Carbon County with some people wondering where the threshold is. Do you think Carbon County is close to being saturated with such projects? Why or why not?
4. Carbon County has had a lot of wind energy projects that are not only being built, but are in the permitting process. We are currently the second largest wind energy producing county in the state of Wyoming. I believe after Chokecherry Sierra Madre, we will see a reduction in the expansion of wind energy in the county. I base that on the amount of the county that is in sage grouse core area which precludes wind development, and areas where there are economic wind resources. We also have to remember that to this point, the majority of wind energy development has occurred on private land so this is also a private property rights issue
5. Budgeting is a concern for every political subdivision and the County is no different. Could you explain what your thought process would be when it would come to trying to find cuts to make to a budget which has already been described as “bare bones?”
6. Budgeting is the most difficult and stressful part of being a county commissioner. A large part of the county’s revenue comes from the taxes on production of natural gas and oil, with market volatility, this can be challenging from one year to the next. Carbon County is the third largest county in the state and we also have 10 incorporated municipalities, which is the most in the state. That provides us unique challenges in providing services to all the citizens of Carbon County, and as always, health and human safety is, without question, the top priority. The majority of our budget continues to be salaries and benefits for hard-working and dedicated county employees. The first place we always like to start with budget cuts is in a one time capital request from departments.

Sue Jones ®

P.O. Box 131

Encampment, WY 82325

[email protected]

1. Over the past few elections, there seems to have been confusion as to what a county commissioner can and cannot do. Can you summarize what authority a commissioner has?
2. County Commissioners are not the “bosses of the County”. County Commissioners are the fiscal agents for the County. In cooperation with the County Clerk, who is the County budget officer, they budget and allocate the funds for the various County departments. County Commissioners also oversee Road & Bridge, Buildings & Grounds, IT, Emergency Management, Planning & Zoning, and they represent the county as cooperators in Federal land management issues in the NEPA process. They do not oversee or manage the other County elected officials – Sheriff, Clerk, Assessor, Treasurer, Coroner, Clerk of District Court.
3. The past several years have seen a lot of wind energy projects coming into Carbon County with some people wondering where the threshold is. Do you think Carbon County is close to being saturated with such projects? Why or why not?
4. We are currently in the process of updating our County Land Use Plan which, hopefully, will assist us in determining what “saturation” is and if it exists in a particular area, as well as if it can be legally addressed. We have a huge existing renewable industrial area in eastern Carbon County and the planned Chokecherry wind farm near Rawlins is coming in the next few years. There are also very large transmission lines currently in place with Gateway West and Gateway South. Transwest Express transmission line is just starting construction and will carry power from the Sinclair area to California and Nevada.

The Pacificorp/RMP site near Medicine Bow has over 400 wind turbines, many new power lines both large and small, several substations, including the Aeolus Substation which is scheduled to encompass up to a section of land soon, as well as the many roads needed to access the areas, all of which are impacted by daily use. There are also plans in the near future for solar power in this same area.

We should not alleviate or unduly impact other industries/uses in the area (agriculture, tourism, hunting/fishing, outdoor recreation) with one which is very large and seems all encompassing. The issue is very sensitive as we value private property rights in Wyoming. We must take care, however, to not infringe upon those rights for all parties affected - “My rights in your face and vice versa”. Smart development is key. We must encourage an “all of the above plan” while at the same time respecting private property rights. We must take care at the same time to not destroy the reason we all live here and the customs and cultures of the area. It is a very difficult issue and one which is only going to become more difficult as time goes on. We are beginning to see increased development in the recreational and tourism sectors on private property in other areas of the county, as well.

1. Budgeting is a concern for every political subdivision and the County is no different. Could you explain what your thought process would be when it would come to trying to find cuts to make to a budget which has already been described as “bare bones?”
2. We have had to do line by line cuts in the past, which included looking at ALL items, both large and small, down to items as small as office supplies and travel expenses. We can do this again, although it is very difficult. We have great leadership in our elected officials, department heads, and employees who are all very conscientious and take great care to provide County services at a level we can afford. We will carry on as we have in the past by continuing to watch closely our revenues and expenditures to avoid overspending or losing a vital service to the people of the county.