Riverside Remembers

Despite taking less than an hour, the last meeting of 2024 for Riverside Town Council had no shortage of items for discussion.

The governing body remembered those the Platte Valley lost this year, heard of a rate increase from the Sierra Madre Water Joint Powers Board and discussed statutory obligations regarding the publishing of minutes and ordinances.

A Moment of Silence

“We don’t normally do this but this past year just seems to have been fraught with people who meant a lot to the community and the Valley,” said Mayor Leroy Stephenson. “I would like to take a moment to remember Lynn Finney and Fred Lorenz and Cowboy Bill Wadsworth, Teense Willford, Sunny Golden and Dick Blake.”

Finney passed away on December 2, 2023 and was a lifetime resident of the Valley. She was born in Saratoga in 1940 and graduated from Encampment High School in 1958. After attending the University of Wyoming, Finney became a flight attendant and eventually met R.G. Finney. The two eventually returned to the Valley, owning Spirit West Lodge just east of Riverside. She was 83 years old.

Lorenz passed away on March 24, 2024 and was a resident of the Valley since 1978. Along with operating a sawmill with his brother, Richard, Lorenz was also involved in the Chug-n-Tug Tractor Club. He served on the Riverside Town Council for several terms.

Wadsworth passed away on May 30, 2024 at the age of 96. He was a well-known fixture in the Valley, often seen at many events in Encampment. He was a veteran of the United States Navy, enlisting in 1945 and called into active duty near the end of World War II.

Willford passed away on September 3, 2024 at the age of 85 after a lengthy battle with cancer. A fourth generation Valley resident, Willford was known for his community spirit and his booming voice. He served in the Wyoming Legislature from 1987 until 2002, representing Carbon County and then House District 47. He served as the CEO of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce in the early 90s, announced at football games, parades and sang at events ranging from weddings to funerals.

Golden passed away on August 20, 2024 at the age of 84. She was the wife of Riverside Town Council member Ed Golden, to whom she was married for 60 years. She was involved in a number of activities throughout the Encampment and Riverside area including the Encampment Dirt Diggers Club.

Blake passed away on November 25, 2024 at the age of 90. He had called the Valley home since 1944. His family at one time owned Riverside Garage and Cabins where he worked before graduating from Encampment High School. After high school, Blake worked for the railroad before eventually starting his own construction company.

 Rate Increase

Lee Ann Stephenson, representative for the Sierra Madre Water Joint Powers Board, informed the Riverside Town Council the board was “continuing to work towards a rate increase” which would go into effect in 2025. The increase, said Stephenson, would be a flat $5 per tap for all users of the water system.

“We’ll have a public hearing on the rate increase and we’re inviting all the SIerra Madre users to contact us by phone or by email or by writing if they have any concerns about the rate increase,” said Stephenson.

She added that the reason for the increase was due to the cost increase for the joint powers board for operating the water system.

“Our costs are just going [up] exponentially. We have to pay a lease on the tank for chlorine and we had a 10 year lease on our tank and it cost $450 for 10 years. It’s up in January and they will renew the lease for $2,600 for three years,” said Stephenson. “That’s just an example of how ridiculous the prices are going up. Plus, we have to pay them $25 a year to bill us and we have to pay $70 every time they come to look at our chlorine tank.”

Not Required

Finally, the Riverside Town Council briefly discussed whether or not to designate an official newspaper. The governing body had received two letters requesting to be considered as the official newspaper with one being from the Saratoga Sun.

“I would point out at the very beginning here that we are not required to have a designated newspaper and we are not required to publish our minutes in a newspaper in the county,” said Mayor Stephenson.

Indeed, according to Wyoming State Statute 15-1-110(a), a municipality like the Town of Riverside is not obligated to publish their minutes in a newspaper if one is not published in the town. Instead, the municipality can publish minutes or ordinances at the town hall and in other places as determined by the governing body.

Additionally, Wyoming State Statute 15-11-116(a) reads, “Every ordinance before becoming effective shall be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation, which maintains a physical office at which advertisements are accepted and which is open to the public during regularly set business hours within the boundaries of the city or town.”

Mayor Stephenson and Clerk Jan Cook both said that, when it came to advertising, the Town of Riverside used as many publications as they could.

“Having said that, we do not have a designated newspaper but we have used the Saratoga Sun ever since I’ve been on the town council,” said Mayor Stephenson. “I see no reason to discontinue using the Saratoga Sun anytime we need to advertise. It would be my recommendation we do not designate a newspaper.”

While the Town of Riverside does not publish minutes or ordinances in the Saratoga Sun—or any newspaper—the Sun has published public notices required by the State of Wyoming. In addition to public notices being published in the pages of the Sun and on the Sun’s website, they are uploaded to the statewide Wyoming Public Notices website. The website includes public notices published in all 40 newspapers in Wyoming and is available at no charge to Wyoming residents.

The next meeting of the Riverside Town Council will be at 5 p.m. on January 9, 2025 at Riverside Town Hall.