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As the Wyoming Legislature goes through the once-in-a-decade process of redistricting, it appears the 2020 Census may have negative impacts for Carbon County following the December meeting of the Joint Corporations Committee. In an update on the process from Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett on December 7, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) were made aware of the potential dissolution of House District 47. The district, which encompasses most of Carbon County—with the exception o...
After three meetings and months of discussion, a potential moratorium on energy development from the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) in the Shirley Basin failed by a vote of 2-3 on December 7. The split vote from the county commissioners came after multiple individuals from Medicine Bow spoke out against the moratorium. Prior to the vote by the BOCCC, Chairman John Johnson allowed members of the public to comment on the potential action. Before the comments, however, Carbon County...
Just one day after the retirement of Carbon County Treasurer Patty Bentsen, three candidates were selected to be presented to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC) on December 7. The Carbon County Democratic Party Central Committee, led by Chairman Jacob Mickselsen, held a meeting at the Rawlins Library on December 4 to interview potential replacements for Bentsen. The requirements of filling a vacancy in county elected offices is laid out under Wyoming State Statute 22-18-111 (ii). Un...
Who is the ultimate authority when municipal boards are in disagreement? This was the question raised by Councilmember D’Ron Campbell during the November 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. As the Saratoga Municipal Airport (Shively Airfield) undergoes its apron expansion project and a rehabilitation of its entryway, the Saratoga Airport Advisory Board is looking for solutions to remove a leach field long used by the fixed-base operator (FBO). The solution preferred by the advisory board i...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) are closer to placing a moratorium on energy development in the Shirley Basin following their November 16 meeting. While a resolution was presented to the commissioners, the need for further review has pushed any action back to their December 7 meeting. As wind energy projects continue to pour into Carbon County, and specifically around Medicine Bow, an ongoing study from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) appears to show a negative...
While Patty Bentsen will officially retire from her position as Carbon County Treasurer effective December 3, she will remain in the position for a little longer than expected. At their November 16 meeting, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) unanimously passed Resolution No. 2021-41 appointed Bentsen as Interim Carbon County Treasurer effective December 3. Bentsen originally submitted her resignation letter on October 5, at which point it was expected a nominee would be presented...
It is often joked that in Wyoming the wind is so prevalent, when there’s a day without it everyone in the state falls flat on their faces. This seems especially true for Carbon County, especially around Hanna and Medicine Bow. Due to the surplus of wind in the area, the past decade has seen a number of energy companies converge on the Cowboy State with wind energy projects. What has been unknown since windmills and transmission lines began cropping up, however, is the impact it has had on l...
Booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (Pfizer) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Carbon County. Amanda Brown, Nurse Manager of Carbon County Public Health, provided the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) with a number of updates surrounding vaccines during their November 2 meeting. These included the status of booster doses in Carbon County, pediatric doses of Pfizer and their availability, and Carbon County's vaccination rate. Boosters "I've been getting a lot of questions...
The Encampment town Council had a busy agenda for their October 14 meeting. The possibility of a police drone was one topic of attention. Mother Mountain Anglers and Encampment Preschool Director Rachel Swanson were in attendance as well. Other guests included Carbon County Commissioners Travis Moore and Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman who were in attendance to give the council an opportunity to clarify any questions they may have about the proposed fire district. Drones Police...
After nearly four decades working for Carbon County, Treasurer Patty Bentsen is preparing to retire. The announcement was tearfully delivered by Bentsen during the October 5 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). While the commissioners ultimately accepted Bentsen’s resignation, effective December 3, it was not without statements from Bentsen’s fellow elected officials. “On May 13, 1985 Mary Aydelotte gave me an opportunity to become a part of (the) Carbon County workf...
Too few buildings and too many good employees. That appeared to be the reasoning given by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their October 5 meeting when they revisited the idea of naming a county building after a former county employee. As was reported previously (see “A building by another name?” on page 1 of the October 6 Saratoga Sun), Encampment resident Gary Jacobsen appeared before the county commissioners to consider naming the road and bridge building in Enc...
When it comes to traveling in Carbon County, there are many unsung heroes who make it possible. Chief amongst those are the employees of the Carbon County Road and Bridge Department. On September 7, Encampment resident Gary Jacobsen appeared before the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) to change that. In what Jacobsen would later call a “good precedent”, he proposed the county commissioners consider naming the road and bridge building in Encampment to honor long time employee Dav...
After a difficult summer in 2020, the Hanna Basin, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow museums invited Carbon County residents and outsiders to come and visit the Hanna Basin Museum to welcome them back on September 19. Directors of all three museums welcomed the visitors with a food spread donated by restaurants from Elk Mountain, Hanna, Medicine Bow and Saratoga. To raise money, there was a 50-50 raffle and a silent auction which had items donated by businesses from all over the county. There were...
On September 14, the decades-old saga of Green Mountain took a significant step forward as the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) unanimously approved the Planned Use Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek Ranch. The approval of the PUD followed nearly two hours of public comment in the Great Hall of the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga. Along with testimony from representatives for Brush Creek Ranch, Valley residents spoke both in favor and against the PUD prese...
The Hanna Town Council met on September 14 at the Hanna Town Hall. Mayor Lois Buchanan and council members Sammy Sikes and Bill Dys were present. Council members Tracy Fowler and Jayson Nordquist were absent. There were few in the audience and the council moved quickly through the department and board reports. Buchanan said the High Country Joint Powers Board would be meeting once every six months, a change from meeting every three months. She said Viper Construction would be working on Sunday t...
Riverside Town Council’s September 9 meeting began with discussions about the fire district proposed at recent meetings of the Carbon County Council of Governments. Riverside focused on deciding between two options on how the fire protection district would be established; a resolution by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners or a petition of 25 percent of 25 percent of property owners. The council’s decision came down to how the community would represent itself. Having a population of sea...
A common saying in Wyoming is the population of pronghorn in the state outnumber that of people. While that's not entirely accurate-there are 400,000 pronghorn in Wyoming compared to 550,000 residents-the Cowboy State is home to more speedgoats than any other western state. Due to the large number of pronghorn in the state, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has not conducted any in depth studies on the animal until now. At the August 17 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners...
The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) held a special meeting on August 18 at the newly renovated Carbon Building - Courthouse Annex. The meeting was a continued discussion from the July 21 regularly scheduled meeting (see "More expensive, more stringent" on page 6 of the July 28 Saratoga Sun). Carbon County Fire Chief John Rutherford had come before CCCOG to make a case the county should consider creating a fire district. In that meeting, Rutherford said he believed if Carbon County h...
The old Wyoming adage “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting” seemed especially true during the August 12 meeting of the Encampment Town Council. Both the Encampment Town Council and Encampment residents are preparing for the September 14 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), when the county commissioners will hold a public hearing on the highly debated Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek Ranch. It wasn’t just Encampment’s source...
Though tensions seem to have eased between the Saratoga Town Council and the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) compared to where they were over a year ago, the joint powers board is still keeping an eye on proceedings with the Town of Saratoga. During the August 11 meeting of the SCCIJPB, Chairman Richard Raymer led discussion in regards to the administrative fee charged by the Town to the joint powers board. Board members also discussed the ongoing review of the...
While the Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain by Brush Creek Ranch (BCR) has faced much controversy, it successfully moved to the next stage of approval during a special meeting by Carbon County Planning Commission on July 26. The PUD will be sent to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC) for review and potential approval. The planning commission staff created a series of amendments for the PUD guide after the July 12 public hearing. Some amendments were minor changes to...
The Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek will be moving on to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) for review and potential approval following a special meeting of the Carbon Country Planning Commission on July 26. Brush Creek Ranch began the process for a zone change from Residential to PUD in order to develop a ski resort on Green Mountain. The commission was presented with an amended version of the PUD guide. Notable changes include the helipad usage...
Carbon County will have a new health officer as of August 1 following a split vote by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) on July 20. Dr. Marvin Wayne Couch II, who served as the county health officer for two years, will be replaced by Dr. Duane Abels. The decision to enter into a contract with Abels comes after two meetings—one on June 1 and one on July 6—in which the county commissioners discussed the county health officer position. It also comes as Wyoming begins to see a ris...
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...