Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 281
Carbon County Fire Chief John Rutherford gave a presentation to the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) on July 21 at the Valley Community Center in Baggs on the need for a fire district in Carbon County. There were representatives from all municipalities with the exception of Encampment and Riverside. “Thank you for letting me address you about this topic for Carbon County,” Rutherford said. “This organization allows the municipalities to work together, yet have differences of opini...
Senate File 60 and the collection of ad valorem taxes were, again, heavily discussed by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their July 6 meeting. A continuation of concerns and frustrations expressed by Carbon County Treasurer Patty Bentsen in May and June, the discussion was primarily led by Jeremiah Reinman, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA). The root of the concerns for the county commissioners and treasurer appears to be the...
Despite having three candidates, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) appears to be in a holding pattern in regards to the county health officer following their July 6 meeting. For nearly two years, Dr. Wayne Couch has served as the Carbon County Health Officer. In August 2019, Couch was appointed by the BOCCC and was, according to Nurse Manager Amanda Brown, was the only applicant interested in the position. When the contract came up for renewal in June 2020—just two months into t...
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on the Green Mountain ski area. On July 12, representatives from Brush Creek Ranch will appear before the Carbon County Planning Commission in regards to a zone amendment for the Green Mountain ski area from Residential to Planned United Development (PUD). The public hearing comes almost 20 years to the day after the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved a previous zone amendment for all of Section 36 of Township 14 N...
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series on the Green Mountain ski area. When Brush Creek Ranch purchased the Green Mountain Ski Area in June 2019, many residents in Encampment and Riverside assumed, or perhaps feared, the luxury resort would develop the 620-acre property. A public notice in the June 16 Saratoga Sun seemed to confirm those assumptions with the announcement of a public hearing on July 12 for a zone change from residential to a planned unit development (PUD). Along with the z...
County level fire restrictions will be coming sooner rather than later according to interim Fire Warden John Rutherford. During the June 15 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Rutherford informed the commissioners of fire restrictions he had been made aware of that morning including from the United States Forest Service (USFS) and from Moffat County and Routt County in Colorado. Indeed, on the afternoon of June 15, Stage 1 fire restrictions were announced for the Medicin...
The headache of Senate File 60 and ad valorem taxes is continuing for county treasurers and will likely turn into one for county assessors as well. At the June 1 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Treasurer Patty Bentsen gave an update on the progress, or lack thereof, the Wyoming County Treasurers Association (WCTA) had made in speaking with the Wyoming Department of Revenue. According to Bentsen, the WCTA had met with both the Wyoming County Commissioners Association...
With Independence Day just around the corner, the desire to light off fireworks is likely increasing for individuals and commercial entities alike. Each year, businesses such as Brush Creek Ranch, Old Baldy Club and the Seminoe Boat Club put on shows for guests. Though fireworks are technically banned in Carbon County, a process is established in which residents can enjoy a light show by submitting an application to the county fire warden. While the application stipulates a $100 fee to go along...
It appears nuclear energy will be coming to Wyoming in the near future. In a press release from the Office of Governor Mark Gordon, it was announced TerraPower and PacificCorp would be undergoing efforts to advance a Natrium reactor demonstration project at a retiring coal plant in Wyoming. No site was announced by the companies but it was stated they were evaluating several potential locations. “I am thrilled to see Wyoming selected for this demonstration pilot project as our great state is t...
Following a request for entries from county residents to design an official seal for Carbon County, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) have selected their official seal. Bobbie Herman submitted the winning entry, which was selected on June 1 by the BOCCC. Herman, a rancher and artist from the Elk Mountain area, combined several elements of Carbon County's past and present into the seal. The seal will be professional reproduced and used in a variety of ways by the BOCCC for years...
Newly passed legislation appears to be causing headaches for county treasurers throughout Wyoming before it has even taken effect. Senate File 60, which was introduced and passed during the 2021 General Session, is supposed to provide a process for monthly ad valorem taxation of mineral production instead of biannual payments. During the May 18 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), County Treasurer Patty Bentsen requested a letter of support from the commissioners to...
Carbon County Commissioner John Espy was recently elected as the 2nd Vice President of the Western Interstate Region (WIR) according to a press release from the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA). WIR is a regional affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the election occurred during the WIR spring board of directors meeting in Hamilton, Montana. "I am excited for this new role with the Western Interstate Region," said Espy. "The work this group does is so...
As the 2022 election cycle seems to be heating up early, election precincts and municipal boundaries were a point of discussion during the May 4 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. The discussion stemmed from concerns raised by Joey Correnti IV, Carbon County Republican Chairman, to Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett. In addition to the discussion of election precincts, Bartlett also briefly talked to the commissioners about the voter identification law recently passed by the...
Though Carbon County has received some much needed moisture in the past few days, fire departments throughout the county have been dealing with an increasing number of wildland fires due to a dryer-than-normal spring. During the May 4 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), interim Carbon County Fire Warden John Rutherford informed the board none of the fires were what he considered accidental. “Unfortunately we’re having fires already. Little Snake River Valley’s had a few...
Just one day after Paul Zamora's effective retirement as the Carbon County Coroner, the Carbon County Republican Party Central Committee unanimously selected a candidate to fill the vacancy. Brittany Nyman, who served as chief deputy coroner under Zamora, will be presented to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their May 4 meeting in Rawlins. As was previously reported (see "No finer professional" on page 1 of the April 28 Saratoga Sun), Zamora's retirement was announced via...
Carbon County Road 351, also known as Seminoe Road, may be seeing far more traffic than normal. It also may be seeing more attention than normal. During the April 20 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Kandis Fritz discussed a potential road use agreement for County Road 351 as well as potential grants for repairing the deteriorating road. Sand mines Fritz informed the commissioners that she had received a call the day before the meeting about potential hauling on...
It was difficult to find a dry eye in the Medicine Bow Senior Center on April 20 as Carbon County Coroner Paul Zamora announced his resignation via letter to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). “It is with great sorrow and trepidation that I inform you of my decision to retire at the end of this month. This decision stems from the current treading of my illness,” wrote Zamora. “It is time to focus all my energy on treatment and a little fun.” The letter, read by Chairman John Johns...
With budget sessions beginning this week for the Saratoga Town Council, the search continues for an accounting firm to audit Fiscal Year 2019/2020. At the April 20 meeting of the governing body, Mayor Creed James stated he had been in contact with several firms since being informed by Carver Florek and James that they would not engage with the Town of Saratoga for a second year. In similar financial business, the town council discussed two different State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grants...
As Carbon County receives national, and international, attention for its embrace of wind energy, the influx of wind energy projects shows no sign of stopping. On April 6, Michael Svedeman, Senior Manager of Development for Invenergy, appeared before the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) to discuss yet another upcoming wind project. Inevergy’s appearance before the county commissioners comes nearly two years since the Illinois-based company transferred ownership of the Ekola Flats a...
While the arrival of spring may have more people thinking about floods rather than fires, four recent events that began as controlled burns are showing just how dry things are before the spring runoff. During the April 6 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), the commissioners were informed about the recent events by Lenny Layman, Carbon County Emergency Manager, which took place on April 3. “We had three to four controlled burns that got out of control, three in the Baggs...
Haulers with oversize loads can expect to have their weight checked in the near future. Little more than a month after the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved a resolution implementing weight restrictions on county roads, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office appeared before the commissioners on April 6 to request the purchase of four portable scales. As was reported previously (see “Paving the way” on page 2 of the February 24 Saratoga Sun), the commissioners approved Resol...
From coal to wind and from agriculture to tourism, Carbon County has a diverse past, present and future. If one lucky resident can represent the county in a new seal, they could receive $600 from the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). In an April 7 press release, the BOCCC announced a contest for a new seal design open to students and the community as a whole. “Carbon County has a unique history and evolving culture, one that deserves to be expressed in a way that is inclusive to all citizens,” read the press release. “To that end,...
Within a month of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) being informed about weight restrictions on a Highway 130 bridge at mile marker 57.52, those restrictions have been removed. As was reported previously (see "A bridge not far enough" on page 1 of the March 10 Saratoga Sun), the BOCCC was notified by Jason Armbruster, district ranger for the Medicine Bow-Routte National Forest and Thunderbasin National Grasslands, about the weight restrictions on March 2. Armbruster, for his...
On March 18 and 19, Jackie King, a field representative for Senator Cynthia Lummis, came to Carbon County to touch base with residents, organizations and businesses. The morning of the 18th, King introduced herself to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their regularly scheduled meeting in Rawlins. King had also scheduled meetings with constituents throughout the day until she attended the Saratoga Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce's Annual Banquet later that evening in...
For some, it may seem that one election cycle bleeds right into another especially as several current members of the Wyoming Legislature have made early announcements of running against Representative Liz Cheney in 2022. A piece of legislation currently in the Wyoming Senate, however, would add another election date to Wyoming’s calendar and create additional work for both the Secretary of State and county clerks throughout Wyoming. During their rescheduled March 18 meeting, the Board of C...