Supporting the 6th penny

The first Encampment Town Council meeting of 2019 saw what could be a record finish as it took less than 20 minutes from beginning to end, including the swearing in of new council member Shannon Fagan and returning council member Gary Stull. Council member Bill Craig was the only one absent as the governing body quickly went through the short agenda.

The council approved Resolution 2019-01, provided by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, which codified the Town of Encampment's support for the 1 percent specific purpose tax or the 6th penny tax. The tax will appear on the ballot for a special election held on May 7. Encampment's portion of that tax is $2.7 million.

During the short meeting, a public hearing was held regarding a loan application to the State Lands and Investment Board for a Clean Water State Revolving Fund in the amount of $500,000 for the purpose of a lagoon improvements. The additional money to go towards lagoon improvements is expected to come from the 6th penny tax, should it pass in May.

It was during the annual designations that Mayor Greg Salisbury requested Bank of the West be removed from the list of depositories. As was reported previously (see "Moving money" on page 2 of the Sept. 19, 2018 Saratoga Sun), the council made the decision to pull all their accounts from Bank of the West following the companies decision to divest from fossil fuels.

The council authorized Doreen Harvey, Encampment Town Clerk and Treasurer, to pay for Jake Clayton to return for the 13th Annual Music in the Park. They also approved Resolutions 2019-01 and 2019-03, which authorized street closures during the Sierra Madre Winter Carnival, which will be held on Jan. 25 and 26 and approved the catering permit submitted by the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar for Casino Night on Jan. 26.

The next Encampment Town Council meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14 at Encampment Town Hall.