Prepare for the worst, hope for the best

Emergencies and emergency management were among the topics for discussion for the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) on February 7.

The Carbon County Fire Protection District and the West Fork Battle Creek Watershed Plan were also discussed by the commissioners.

Deputy management

On December 6, Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman had requested permission to fill the deputy position within his department. Layman presented the BOCCC with a grant awarded from the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security which would pay half of his salary and half of the deputy’s salary.

It was proposed by Commissioner Sue Jones that Layman approach the municipalities within Carbon County—particularly Rawlins and Saratoga—regarding partial funding for the position in January. In the meantime, he was given approval to apply for a grant which would pay for half of the deputy’s salary with the other half projected to be covered by the town governments.

At the February meeting, Layman renewed his request to fill the position. The plan to approach the municipalities in the county for funding “did not come to fruition” said Layman. Without funding from the communities of incorporated Carbon County, one half of the deputy salary would be footed entirely by the County.

Though the BOCCC have voiced their support for the position, the board said it was best to wait until budget workshops for the 2023/2024 Fiscal Year to make a decision. Layman was given approval to apply for another grant to pay for the deputy salary in the next fiscal year.

Emergency refresher

Still on the subject of emergency management, Jones said she had requested a refresher regarding disaster declarations from the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security. Ashley Paulsrud, grants and finance section chief, and Spencer Pollock, preparedness section chief, joined the BOCCC via Zoom.

Paulsrud shared a flowchart with the commissioners regarding the process of disaster assistance from the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security. Beginning with an emergency disaster situation, the flowchart follows a line of succession which includes record keeping, ongoing reports to Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and reassessments of the incident. The final step in the flowchart is a Presidential Declaration, which must be requested by the governor.

The flowchart can be found at https://hls.wyo.gov/plans-and-documents.

Fire District Update

The recently formed Carbon County Fire Protection District, which covers unincorporated Carbon County and was approved during the 2022 General Election, has officially elected its officers according to Boardmember Jim Piche.

Home Beach, of Ryan Park, was elected President, Piche was elected Vice President and Courtney Ney was elected secretary/treasurer. Cory Nuhn, a member of the Encampment Volunteer Fire Department, and Pat Waliser, a member of the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department, had also been elected to the board upon the formation of the district.

Along with an update on officers, Piche also requested $60,487.37 from the commissioners to cover expenses for the fire protection district board. These included attorney fees, email and website set up and marketing. Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett told the BOCCC she had requested Carbon County Attorney Sarah Chavez-Harkins to prepare an agreement between the fire protection district and the County.

The BOCCC approved the agreement, which gave the fire district the funds requested with no repayment to leave the amount for budget needs in the 2023/2024 Fiscal Year. A stipulation of the agreement is monthly updates from the Carbon County Fire Protection District.

Watershed Moment

County Planner Sarah Brugger provided an update to the county commissioners on the West Fork Battle Creek Watershed Plan. The plan is the most recent step in a years-long attempt to construct a reservoir in West Fork Battle Creek east of Baggs. It has been championed for over a decade by Senator Larry Hicks (R - Baggs) as a benefit to the agricultural community of the Little Snake River Valley.

Last month, the Natural Resource Conservation Service hosted public meetings in Baggs and Saratoga to discuss an exchange of 1,762 acres of United States Forest Service land for 4,400 acres of land managed by the State of Wyoming. Brugger told the commissioners she had drafted a letter for comment which would be sent to the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

According to Brugger, Carbon County needed to submit the letter in the initial stages of the plan to be considered for comment later on in the project. The letter, which was ultimately approved with Commissioner John Espy abstaining due to potential conflict, had three specific comments or concerns.

The first comment clarified that the BOCCC was a cooperating agency for the Environmental Impact Statement of the watershed plan.

The second comment expressed concern that only comments regarding the proposed land exchange would be considered. The county commissioners believed comments from all interested individuals; federal, state and local agencies; and tribes should be considered. Brugger said she had included the language due to concerns expressed during the public meeting held in Saratoga.

The third comment was a formal request from the BOCCC that a consistency review be conducted with the Carbon County Natural Resource Management (CCNRM) Plan for the Environmental Impact Statement. Brugger said this was to make it “very clear” that the CCNRM plan be considered during the process.