Page 7 The Sundance Times
Thursday April 6 201.
,J[.
contiOued from page I
to-make sure:-
S~mdance is included, He
also outlined the benefits
ofp g in the
alition, such as access o
g loan fund for/:
higher-risk loans,
expertise and
sistance within
ture and worldorce
opment.
Atl~nson told the
that NEWEDC also
5013c foundation
which it is available to ar,
range festivals, career fairs
and other events free of
. Members
for Sundance thi
be$2000, he said.
Karla Greaser- o~%~-
, - hydro, City En
provided an update on
current projects, begin-
ning with the SCADAmon-
itoring system. A
panel has been
and will be installed
ordination with the lic
Works Director in the
couple of weeks, shesaid
For the TUURA Park wa-
ter and sewer p and
21st Street water loop,
Greaser stated that the
easement for the-latter
has been ,filed and cerm-
ments have been received
on the permit,to
from the tof
Environmental
mostly requesting more
information.
tot asa package. Greas
er's rec ~wRs
to accept the low bid
approximately $190,000
from Timberline Services;
later in the meeting,
an project'
to rejuvenate Sundance
Pond, hut Clerk-
er Kathy
council that she has re-
ceived a grant agreement
for $25,000 from Wyo-
ming Game and Fish. The
council granted permis-
sion for the mayor to sign
the agreement once it has
been app by CityAt-
and Fish will be present at
the next council meeting
to discuss the plan.
incorporate the secOnd
phase of the port
of entry project and for
dition support and en,
gineering services for
new Sundance Elementa*
ry School.
The council granted per-
mission for Hughes and
Brooks to create and sign
m of the funds
were Originally
the business's headquar
ters project. The
will be used to extend :the
sewer line and install
ter and sewer services
fore the street goes
said Ken Rathbun,
lodge Engineering.
the month and told:the
council that Officer
itmore is on a
Homeland
ment's computers.
Greaser prese
change order for the:
cil's consideration as: they
move forward t~e
budgeting process. The
additional funds
address the *
between the scope of
work order, she i(~
The next regular
ing of the Sundance City
Council will take on
May 5.
money
scarce
BY SARAH PRIDGEON
Senator Ogden DriskiU warns that purse
strings at the state level are likely to tighten
in the near future, which could have strong
repercussions for local government entities.
"Money for you guys is scarier than heck
coming up," he told the Crook County Com-
mission last week.
Gas prices are falling, said the senator,
and oil is about at capacity with prices set
to crunch if the situation is not fixed. The
amount of money available to distribute to
towns and counties will likely decrease over
the next few years.
The senator explained that he represents
three counties, two of which are on one side
of the hardship divide: Crook and Weston.
The other, Campbell, is on the richer side of
the divide and has, he said, different needs
and views.
"You guys will really want to do research on
how they do the hardship counties," Driskill
commented.
"I'm left in a terrible spot, I need you guys
to really know what you wantf
Driskill suggested that the county and mu-
nicipalities should accelerate their plans for
projects involving such things as streets and
water that will need to be presented to the
State Lands and Investments Board for fund-
ing. If the budget slips, he said, the cost share
percentage will go down as the money goes
away and government entities will be expect-
ed to pay a higher match for their funding.
According to Driskill, the state appeared
during the session to be taking the attitude
of "hurry up and spend before the money is
gone". He indicated that funding was allo-
cated two years in advance for the first time
- money was earmarked and pre-spent.
"We spent lots of money this year - spent it
like it wasn't coming up on hard times," he
commented.
DriskiU estimated that around $14 miUion
has been spent on a high altitude training
center for athletes and $25 million on an
enhanced oil recovery project. A lot has also
been spent on the university, he said.
Of the many individual projects that were
granted funding, he added, he wasn't even
able to get a bike path in a Teton County
killed, jokingly asking whether the county
might also want any bike paths.
Around $160 miUion has also been spent
to revamp the State Capitol, which Driskill
noted is a "done deal". The Legislature has
leased a large building for the next three
years, Governor Matt Mead will move into an
old funeral home across the street and the
Capitol itself will become a construction zone
in August.
"It will change the dynamics of the Legisla-
ture a lot," the senator said, explaining that
people have grown used to knowing where
one another's offices are.
On the plus side, Driskill said, he co-spon-
sored a hospital bill this year that will see
$100,000 directed to Crook County's medical
services. He sponsored more bills than any-
one in the state and saw around 30 of them
passed.
The senator also offered kudos to Represen-
tative Tyler Lindholm for his work in making
the Department of Environmental Quality
aware of the situation in northeast Wyoming
regarding landfills. He suggested that there
may be a bill coming to address the liability
issue for hauling garbage across the border
to South Dakota.
sa
;ures
BY SARAH PRIDGEON out to be really bad advice," both if things stay as they are
she commented, explain- and if the county decides to
Tina Wood, Clerk of Dis- ing that her employee has a change them.
trict Court, appro dhed the nNmber of years of experi- "There's a reaction for every
County Commission last ence is stil!: working, at a action, he said, noting that
week with her fellow elected starting wage. if one person is given a raise
county officials to discuss Wood told the commission then others will want a fair
a revamp of salary struc- that being fiscally respon- match and that duties differ
tures for county employees, sible did not pay off in this between offices.
Because the county lacks a case and that she does not County Attorney Joe Bar-
system at present, she said, want to lose her employee be- on stated that a tier system
there is discrepancy within cause she cannot pay them would give the elected of-
and between departments as
to how much employees are
currently being paid.
Good employees are not
easily replaceable, she stat-
ed, telling the commissioners
an appropriate wage. She re- ficials some certainty when
quested permission to bring setting and increasing wag-
up the employee's salary in es. He agreed with Wood that
line with the other deputies her employee is an example
in the courthouse, of getting "locked in" by hay-
Wood also presented a pro- ing no system.
that it can cost significantly posed tier system for county "The county doesn't tune-
more to replace an employee salaries - a first draft pre- tion without people -- you ce
than to compensate them pared with County
properly. She also noted that
deputies are expected to take
on the duties of an elected
should a situation arise in
which the elected can no lon-
ger serve.
"Along with that responsi-
bility should come adequate
pay," she said.
In 2011, said Wood, she
took the advice of two elected
officials that she should not
start a new employee on the would require some increas- used as a factor in determin-
same wage as the person theyes to bring certain employees ing salary level.
were replacing, in line, Wood said. "However we do it, someone
"Unfortunately, that turned Discussions over a new is not going to like it," point-
salary system were original- ed out Commissioner Kelly
ly opened in January. The Dennis
Clerk got to have good people," he
Linda Fritz, County Assessor added, stating that, for most
Theresa Curren and County offices, salaries are around
Treasurer Mary Kuhl. Un- 90 percent of the budget.
der the proposed system, anDiscussion was held regard-
employee would be placed ining the particulars of install-
one of three tiers represent- ing a new system, including
ing years of service, each of the fact that there must be
which has a wage range thatmoney in an elected official's
corresponds to a percentagebudget to cover the increases
range of the elected official's and whether years of ser-
salary, vice to the county or years of
Switching to a tier system overall experience should be
Sundance recognizes
national service
BY SARAH PRIDGEON
The City of Sundance last week joined a record number of
2630 mayors and county leaders across the nation in rec-
ognizing AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers
for their commitment to service and positive impact on chal-
lenges facing the nation. The officials who contributed to the
cause represented 149 million Americans, nearly half the
population of the United States.
The Sundance City Council signed a proclamation at the
beginning of last week's regular meeting for a Mayor's Day
of Recognition for National Service on April 7. The number of
officials participating in the event has more than tripled since
it was instituted in 2013.
The Mayor's Day of Recognition is led by the Corporation for
National and Community Service, which administers Ame-
riCorps, Senior Corps and the Social Innovation Fund, in
partnership with the National League of Cities, the National
Association of Counties and Cities of Service.
"We are thrilled by the extraordinary turnout of mayors and
county leaders from across the country for this bipartisan
recognition of the impact of national service," said Wendy
Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Commu-
nity Service.
Tour:
continued from page 1
that would be representative of the area."
The turnout, says Schilling, included 43 people such as
county commissioners, mayors, city councilmen, private
business people, chambers of commerce, the school district
and the Forest Service. The meeting was conducted in an
open "U" shape to facilitate conversation.
"You never know how these things are going to go, and of
course this was the first one, but it worked out just fine," he
says.
"There was a recognition for the need for greater collaboration
between the communities and the citizens, greater collaboration
throughout the county both in terms of government institutions
and the private section and also just people working together."
There was also, says Schilling, an agreement that growing
the economy across the county may require a full-time em-
ployee.
"Those would be the key things, I think," he says.
The next step, once meetings have been held in every coun-
ty, will be to compile reports by county.
"The compilation of all of these will be presented at the Gov-
ernor's Business Forum, which is our annual Wyoming busi-
ness forum, in November. It's too early to say what would be
some key recommendations or strategies," Schilling says.
"Well get a better feel for that on a trend line basis, after
we v,e done, ,or, nine;oF ten ,0Lth s : It that
~eed :better ad~e~sing, ,or,-we .need, better~oordirlati~rr t~-
cally, or we need to have a better databank of Who is doing
what, or a better understanding of how you go about, say,
financing economic efforts."
ke vo?I elected officials were asked to Wood was given permis- T[M~~l
Mo r: prepare a draft to present to sion to increase her employ-
continued f, o P g the commissioners, ee's wages as she has money
"We are all here again to ask in the budget to do so. The A Taste of Western
and give the bank greaterthat you join us at the table," commissioners committed to
opportunity to be a busi- she told the commission, work with the elected officials
Campfire
Onion
Bombs
ness incubator. Commissioner Steve Stahla and asked to see a firm pro-
1
To move forward required pointed out that issues exist posal for the new system. Submitted by Janet Jansen
a resolution of support, the
city's agreement to man-
age the grant and a public
hearing. Lenz also request-
ed that the city donate half
of the 25 percent match for
the grant at $3125, with
the chamber, museum
and private businesses to
provide the other half.
The planning grant will
provide a feasibility study
of how the Main Street
Program might be imple-
mented in Sundance, said
Allen, such as through
beautification and facades.
A motion was passed to
support the efforts to apply
for a grant and have Clerk-
Treasurer Kathy Lenz draft
a resolution in time for the
next regular meeting.
The State of Wyoming's Property Tax Relief Program is designed to
assist individuals and families with household incomes less than the
greater of half the county or state median household income. The tax
relief for qualifying persons shall be in the form of a refund of ad valorem
tax paid upon the person's principal residence for the preceding calendar
year (currently the 2014 tax year). Qualification factors also include
timely payment of property tax; residence in the State of Wyoming for a
minimum of five years; household assets (excluding the home, a car for
each adult household member, and IRA and pension funds) worth less
than $115,455 per adult household member.
For more information about Wyoming's Property Tax Relief Program
or to obtain an application you may stop by the Crook County Treasurer's
Office or call them at (307) 283-1244. Information and applications may
also be obtained directly from the Wyoming Department of Revenue,
Property Tax Relief Program, by calling (307) 777-7320. APlPli ations
must be completed and filed with either the Department of
Revenue or the Crook County Treasurer no later than
Monday, June 1, 20'15.
Peel your onions and choose even ones. Cut in half equally. Prepare
a favorite meatball mix. (I use ground beef, Italian seasoning,
oregano, chili powder, minced garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce
and bread crumbs.) Size your meatball to be squished between two
evenly cut halves of onions (meat will come out ends which is okay).
Wrap each onion bomb in heavy duty foil or double wrap with
regular foil. No holes and compact as much as you can. Toss in the
fire and try to get them in the coals. (No holes poked in them.) Cook
for ten minutes; flip'era around and cook another 10 minutes or so.
The people who gave me this recipe are long time campers.
Thought it might work for branding fire!
Crook County CattleWomen Recipes
Brought to you
