CCCOG says goodbye to Lindy

The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) met at 6 p.m on Jan. 17 at the Jeffery Center in Rawlins. Lindy Glode, vice chair, provided pizza as her parting meal to the attendees. Glode is retiring from the Carbon County Commissioners on Jan. 31 and cannot be an officer any longer, since an officer must be an elected official.

Steve Nicholson, the chair, told the council that Invenergy had three local informational meetings with members of the project team at those locations. The first will be 3-7 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Medicine Bow Community Hall. The second is 3-7 p.m. on Jan. 26 at the Rawlins Jeffery Center. The last will be held 3-7 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Laramie Recreation Center.

“This project is going to have impact county wide,” Nicholson said. “I think it is pretty important for all of us to be informed about these projects.”

“Because when all our communities know what is going on with these type of projects in Carbon County, it is better for everyone so we can plan for it,” Glode said.

There are two wind projects by Invenergy in Carbon County, both are close to Medicine Bow and Hanna.

“I think communities in Carbon County just don’t want to be left out of the car,” Cindy Hamilton, town council member from Encampment, said. “As the process moves forward, we just want to be a voice in the process if we see that we can be impacted. I think that is where we are all coming from concerning this project.”

The 2018 Local Option (5th Penny Tax) committee volunteers for the different communities have been assigned although more can volunteer. Marla Brown, Rawlins city clerk, said a phone conference earlier in the day with committee members of the 5th Penny that each community donate $1,000, or whatever they could afford, to CCCOG for the publications needed to inform the public about how the 5th Penny Tax works. CCCOG will allocate $6,000 to the publications.

Hamilton suggested using banners and other items, if they were still around, to save money.

“One thing we have to be really careful of, is we can’t advocate for the tax,” Hamilton said. “That was a real eye opener for me when I learned that.”

The 5th Penny Tax has generated up to $6 million a year for Carbon County and it’s municipalities. This is based on a 37-year average.

“If that 5th Penny Tax doesn’t pass,” Brown said, “It generates $2.5 million a year and that means 40 percent of our staff would be laid off and that means services would cut dramatically.”

CCCOG put out these facts about the 5th Penny Tax.

It funds vital services for all Carbon County communities. A third of the revenue from the tax is paid by visitors to Carbon County. Each municipality decides where its share is spent. The tax aids in community development and maintaining jobs. Examples of what the tax pays for are: law enforcement, 911 support, parks, senior centers, libraries, water and sewer systems and more services that are tailored to each community.

“If the tax doesn’t pass, communities will suffer,” Nicholson said.

CCCOG members also talked about other taxes that might be on the ballot, which could hinder voters from wanting to support any tax,

“The important thing to remember as we do all this, is we are educating,” Nicholson said, “Not trying to promote. It has to be strictly informational.”

“You can mention any service like 911 support and you mention what would happen if nobody was on the other end of the line, because it is never scarier than needing something and then its not there over a penny,” Kenda Colman, Medicine Bow town council member said.

CCCOG approved $6,000 for ways to inform the public about the 5th penny tax.

The vice chair being vacated by Glode was filled by Hamilton, who said she would be vice chair since it went only until May when new elections would occur.

The next scheduled CCCOG meeting is at 6 p.m. on March 21 in the town of Sinclair.