Routine starts year

The Saratoga Town Council met for the first time this year at 6 p.m. Jan. 2 at the Saratoga Town Hall, to address issues that start at the beginning of every year.

Banks designated as depositories for the town were Bank of Commerce, Bank of the West and Rawlins National Bank.

The council designated official newspapers for the town to be the Saratoga Sun and the Rawlins Daily Times.

The council approved the Dec. 19, 2017 minutes and paid all financials.

Mayor Ed Glode read out loud Resolution No. 2018-01. The resolution goes over guidelines of financial assistance for communities with populations between 1,500 and 5,000 from Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Glode said this was a yearly resolution which the council approved. He read that the WYDOT will provide funding of $20 per capita each fiscal year to towns in Wyoming with populations between 1,500 and 5,000 using the latest decennial census adjusted for incorporated boundary changes.

This financial assistance comes because Wyoming communities with 1,500 to 5,000 are responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of storm sewers; the cleaning, sweeping and washing of all streets and highways; and snow removal from all streets and highways within their corporate limits.

Jon Winter, public works director, told the council members he was waiting for all the bids to come in for the replacement for the town’s broken jetter. A jetter is equipment used for flushing clogged utility pipes. Bids were required to be in by 1 p.m. Jan 5.

Richard Raymer, town council member, asked Police Chief Robert Bifano about cars on a list created by town plow drivers. Those cars are being parked on narrow streets which make plowing difficult during snowfalls. Bifano said only one car was parked illegally and the owners were being contacted to let them know how difficult it was for plowing. There is no ordinance currently telling owners to move cars during snow, so council member Faust suggested leaving door knockers to let owners know it would help if cars were not parked in streets.

Raymer told the council three new light poles have brightened up a previously dark area and that those are helping late coming traffic to the airport.

The council went into executive session from 6: 25 p.m. until 6:55 p.m.

Saratoga’s next town council meeting will be 6 p.m. Jan. 16 at the town hall.