[0:00] Tom, I'm good. Greg, how are you doing? Hey Greg.

[0:03] All right, nice to see you.

[0:08] Are you Tom? >> [laughter]

[0:14] » The lights are dim in here. Just my imagination.

[0:18] It is a little dark today.

[0:23] Michelle, is there a light we're missing? Yeah, they are. Those are the

[0:25] ones.

[0:30] We can do that around here. Dark glasses. Don't tell me I have my dark

[0:33] glasses. Look, it's paper.

[0:39] How so funny? Mom, you're being a comedian again?

[0:42] » He is. Hey, I have a really good suggestion. I'll tell you later. It's

[0:45] okay. I was waiting for that. That's the only reason I came.

[0:50] Wait a little longer.

[1:00] I've already knocked. stalls

[1:07] Let's blame Whitney. She's the newest person.

[1:11] Let's blame Whitney.

[1:30] Here we go.

[3:18] » All right, your show.

[3:22] It's go time for us. Yep. Um in my narrative that I sent to you um I

[3:28] showed that our tax income request is down 2% from last year.

[3:33] Um we do have increases in administrative and operations, but we

[3:38] also have an increase in our income. We uh raise some of our ticket prices, some

[3:42] of our costs at the fair. And also um our Indian relay race is now

[3:48] uh we're a 50% partner in and we've got a new group coming in that's

[3:52] uh really outstanding. So, >> [clears throat]

[3:55] » our projections are are very good for it and we've already

[3:58] sold over $11,000 worth of evening junior relays since the 1st of May.

[4:04] So, everything looks pretty good. Our capital requests are down 30% from last

[4:09] year. Our biggest request is uh we have a

[4:13] billboard sign across the arena that we want to replace with a digital billboard

[4:17] sign. The one that's up there won't even hold

[4:20] the cloth anymore. But if we can get a digital one up

[4:23] there, we can also tie it into our other replay screen so that we can do

[4:27] advertising and the rodeo scores and everything else on it. And the cost for

[4:32] it's about 187, but um we think we can get a down payment in

[4:36] and and get it in for about 180. Other than that, our uh

[4:42] our budget's pretty flat. We know that that you guys are tight and we brought

[4:48] it in as honest as we can get it. Uh there's not any room to cut in there.

[4:53] Um with the cost of steel going up and our repairs going up and fuel going up,

[4:58] we we've gone as low as we can go with everything and still keep it running.

[5:13] The the barns are 50 years old. They're over

[5:17] 50 years old. We we replaced [clears throat] some of them because of

[5:20] the wind. Right now to replace those same stalls

[5:23] is about 2,500 a stall and we've got about 350 of them that need replaced.

[5:29] We've been of course repairing them. We cut out full panels and then put in new

[5:34] panels on it. But you can only repair stuff so long. Uh it's in bad need of of

[5:40] replacing. Um

[5:43] we'd like to get on a program of replacing even 25, 30, 50 a year if we

[5:48] can get on that program. Um

[5:51] the other things we've got there that rodeo offices was built in 1953. It

[5:56] still has clay tile pipe coming out of the

[5:59] um drains. Um we fight it every year. It's not real

[6:05] appealing even though we've overhauled it inside and and uh

[6:09] refurbish it, it still looks like an old building.

[6:12] Um when we do that, what we'd like to do is combine it into a remodel with the

[6:16] shoot seats and put it all together in one and open up that area back there.

[6:21] So, the cost on this is going to be quite extensive, but I'd like to put it

[6:25] up there in the forefront for people to consider.

[6:28] » [clears throat] >> The shoot seats are now not within code,

[6:31] of course. Nothing is, [clears throat] I don't

[6:34] think, anymore. Um and then the other thing is the

[6:37] perimeter fence around the fairgrounds. Um

[6:40] We're replacing it about 60 ft at a time as people run into it.

[6:46] But we're really [laughter] We're feeling need to replace

[6:51] Yeah, we turn it in insurance. Um Danielle's got one now. They hit it

[6:55] again last week and um fortunate for us, Danielle's husband

[6:59] was following the car that ran into the fence. So, we were able to get

[7:03] everything and um again, replace it 60, 70 ft at a time,

[7:08] but those posts have been in there for so long, they're all rotten off and

[7:12] » [snorts] >> we replace little bits at a time, but

[7:15] again, it's expensive.

[7:18] It's going For the entire um perimeter fence,

[7:23] you're looking at about a half million dollars.

[7:26] Again, you can break it out and do it in sections, while in Boulevard one and

[7:29] 13th Street one. Um then the east side against the the

[7:34] Fort Caspar area. Um that would probably be the third phase of it. Just keep the

[7:41] the uh privacy slats and keep the noise down for the people over there.

[7:46] Um And that's all chain link and then it's

[7:49] all privacy slotted to on the two sides.

[7:56] If we if we just do the rodeo office itself and don't do the shoot seats,

[8:00] you're looking at about $2 million for it. Just to keep it about the same size.

[8:06] The shoot seats are probably another $2 million.

[8:10] And most of that stuff over there of course is wiring, electrical and

[8:14] and plumbing. Will the shoot seats make us more money?

[8:18] Uh right now we're selling them out almost every night. Yeah, and we've

[8:21] raised prices on them every year and they

[8:24] they don't show any signs of weakening.

[8:28] Give me a number for the uh stalls or whatever you call them.

[8:34] The stalls are about 2,500 a stall and we again, we can do that and and uh

[8:40] and series two if we do them 30 at a time, 50 at a time, whatever.

[8:45] Wherever we can get the money to put it on a rotation and get it done.

[8:51] That you'd need to have You'd you'd actually need to have it all

[8:54] put out to bid with you. Right. And there it's pretty limited on who can do

[8:59] those things. There's a few companies around that

[9:03] one of them being the one that's put in the last two barns for us and they've

[9:06] always been the cheapest bid anyway. If you

[9:12] if all this gets done do you think that you think you'll be

[9:17] able to be able to make more money? The only thing I can see that's more

[9:21] money would be the seats. Um yeah, right now during the winter

[9:27] we're we're housing about 40 to 50 head of race horses all winter long and we've

[9:31] got other people wanting to come in but we've only We some a few stalls that

[9:36] we're willing to rent out during the winter because of the dangers of some of

[9:41] them. We get $5 per head per night.

[9:52] So what would you like first if you had the money?

[9:57] Well, that's a toss-up. The rodeo office

[10:01] really bad, but the stalls again

[10:05] are the money makers. So stalls first I expect, but

[10:10] then the rodeo office would be a close second.

[10:13] And then the perimeter fencing would be third again little bits at a time, but

[10:16] if they keep running into it like I said we're replacing it 70 ft at a time now.

[10:24] Such trouble is sometimes they hit the same spot.

[10:30] That's right. [laughter]

[10:34] Yeah. >> [laughter]

[10:36] » Correct them.

[10:39] But we appreciate everything that you guys have done to help us with. We're

[10:43] trying to do little bits each year just keep it

[10:47] progressive. Where we're not going to be in a fix

[10:50] where you you're stuck with a $200 million remodel. So we've we've

[10:54] been trying to every year do something that that helps improve it and then

[10:58] takes it off our list, which we've been doing and things look good and we

[11:02] appreciate it. Are there any grants?

[11:07] We've been putting in for grants for Angela's put in for three of them this

[11:12] spring. So far we've been turned down on two, but we've still got one out

[11:16] pending.

[11:20] It's for the sign that we're trying to put in just to help the electrical.

[11:25] That's it's just electrical and and stationary stuff. It It cover the sign.

[11:32] Did Ellen leave you any money? No.

[11:35] Just a statue. I was curious about that. She's

[11:39] a nice [clears throat] person. She was. She She did a lot for us.

[11:43] And if they read the will and there is some for us, I sure like to know.

[11:52] And any questions I'll try and answer, but I think we're pretty straightforward

[11:55] with everything we've got.

[12:01] Tom, what's the I know you said the sign and it and it's

[12:05] got for equipment 290,000. What's the other

[12:09] 90?

[12:14] One on the second sheet, it's got the

[12:19] report for request for equipment. And the total request is 290,000. And

[12:24] then I see the 180 for the So, we've got

[12:29] uh

[12:33] We've got buildings and structures, the 6-year-old

[12:37] heaters and industrial building. We need to replace those.

[12:40] Um we've got two left to replace. We have replaced two, but the 6-year-old

[12:45] heaters are just not cutting it anymore. Um we've got some panels and shoots to

[12:49] consider continue the outside rail. Uh we need to replace office copier and

[12:55] then of course the digital billboard. And then the rock picker attachment for

[12:59] our skid steer loader. Those are the other capital requests.

[13:10] And we tried to keep it low, but we do have

[13:15] some tractors that we could start replacing

[13:18] and we're going to have to within the next 2 years.

[13:35] » horse racing stuff like that. Horse horse racing doesn't make money.

[13:40] No. Um

[13:43] The only reason any of them are horse racing right now

[13:46] is for the off-track gambling. The off-track gambling's handling about $2.4

[13:52] billion a year in this state alone. Um

[13:56] Gillette's down to four days of racing now. Last year they averaged 13 people a

[14:00] night in the seats to watch them, which that's not paying for your racing.

[14:06] Um The thing that is paying is the Indian

[14:09] relays. We we get big turnout and the money's there on it. I enjoyed that. And

[14:15] they're good.

[14:19] I got my back. You bet. Thank you. You're welcome.

[14:23] Hey, Tom. So, I got the 290. I see where that is

[14:27] with capital. Mhm. I'm trying to do the math and see where

[14:33] we're at with the first sheet for the one

[14:37] 1.135. Where's the

[14:41] Where's that total at?

[14:44] On the revenues, it's on page Now, if you put this normal like, it'd

[14:50] be >> [laughter]

[14:52] » Just like a CSB. I'd like to see it twisted.

[14:57] It'd be page six and seven is the revenues.

[15:36] » Still don't see a matching number.

[15:42] 1347500

[15:46] This is the bottom of page seven. Right. The sheet we have is 1135800.

[16:09] This does match their 400.

[16:13] I don't even know where that came from then.

[16:20] Mr. Chairman, Tom, so in your budget narrative, you requested of 1,135,800.

[16:27] Oh, that That's on the last page. Sorry, I misunderstood you.

[16:34] Sorry. On the last page, tax requirement

[16:37] amounts. Oh, there we go.

[16:44] We have the estimated revenue and then our total cash and estimated and then

[16:47] our total requirements.

[16:52] Okay. Clear over to the right above with

[16:55] capitals. Yes, sir. Okay.

[17:00] One number is without capitals, the other is with them.

[17:51] » They did a nice job.

[18:04] Mr. Chairman, Mhm. on that note, um Tom and his staff, obviously the industrial

[18:10] building is one of my polling locations that houses

[18:15] 13 precincts in it, and him and his staff

[18:19] have They're outstanding to work with. They bend over backwards to help me

[18:24] make it easy for me and accommodate me in every way. And then also, we just

[18:29] hosted the County Clerks Association meeting. Again, him and his staff just

[18:34] bent over backwards to accommodate us in everything we needed, and they just do a

[18:38] fantastic job. They are just so wonderful to me and my staff. So, thank

[18:42] you. Thank you. That's very nice. Hey, Tom. Um

[18:47] on the heaters in the industrial building,

[18:50] and I agree they need to be upgraded.

[18:54] Anybody that's ever been in there knows knows that they need to be upgraded.

[18:59] Um do you have any idea what the cost

[19:02] efficiency will be? I mean, most of those old

[19:07] heaters are about 35% efficient if I remember right.

[19:10] » If these are 35, I'd like to see if there.

[19:12] » be really nice. Yeah, probably more like 15 or 20. Two Yeah, two of the ones that

[19:17] we've get the newer ones that we've got in there uh one of them's a '86 and the

[19:22] other one's '87. They were bought in different years, but

[19:25] um those other two a lot of times um they'll kick on and blow dust out for

[19:31] a little while and then they'll uh kick back off and the other two are

[19:35] covering for them.

[19:40] We kept one of the old heaters that they pulled out of there just for parts for

[19:43] repairs in those two, but we're running out of parts.

[19:50] How in love are you with the idea of a new scoreboard?

[19:56] Do I want to what now? How much do you love the idea of a the

[19:59] new scoreboard? I love it a lot.

[20:04] » [laughter] >> It's not what you wanted to hear, was

[20:07] it? No, no, I

[20:13] Well, I'm sure for 150,000

[20:17] That's it.

[20:21] The other thing with that uh scoreboard is is it helps Angela in her selling her

[20:26] advertising for them. Um they like the one that's down there,

[20:29] but they like that billboard. So, if we have

[20:32] one that's in front of most of them, um her advertising's easier to sell. So, it

[20:37] is a money maker. Not going to pay off in the first 5 years, but it will

[20:42] eventually.

[20:44] Mr. Chairman, um

[20:47] my dad that That's one of the probably one of the main complaints that

[20:51] we've got over the last four or five years that the people on the center to

[20:55] the east side of the stands can't see the

[20:58] the the replay and all that and uh that everybody questions why can't we put a

[21:02] replay uh right center to where everybody can

[21:06] see it and we honestly think it'll increase our

[21:09] revenue, put more butts in the seats to to have something up up to date and

[21:14] high-tech like that. When the sun's setting

[21:17] » told me that, too. >> Yeah, advertising especially when the

[21:20] sun's setting, it's hard to see that billboard down on the east side. But, I

[21:24] think we'll have more people in the seats because of it, too. It just

[21:27] improve the efficiency of the operation. When we start at night, as that sun's

[21:31] going back over the top of that replay screen we have now, you can't see it

[21:36] looking in the sun, so the one on the far end.

[21:40] For the shoot seats that can't see that replay screen anyway, we went and bought

[21:45] a 75-in TV and hooked it into our board, and it's hung on the side of the

[21:50] announcer's booth, so that shoot seat bunch can see it through that TV.

[21:56] So, we cured one of those but it's not very big. You got to squint

[21:59] pretty good to see it. All I know is I couldn't see who won

[22:03] that one Indian race. It was so close. And when I was looking down here, I

[22:07] couldn't see it. I really wanted to know for sure who won that.

[22:11] Do you have money bet on it? No. >> [laughter]

[22:15] » That's what I wanted to know. That's his story, and he's sticking to it. And out

[22:19] there, I saw the probably the best race I've ever seen.

[22:24] You couldn't tell who won. Yeah, no, the relay judges really like this because we

[22:30] can replay it, replay it, replay it for them, and they can Yeah.

[22:37] It's a very needed item. It is.

[22:44] Don't you agree, Whitney? So, old board, agree?

[22:50] Mr. You agree? The ex-legislator, you agree?

[22:56] Very good. Everybody [laughter] down there agrees.

[22:59] Sheriff, you agree, too, don't you? Shh. Sheriff's giving you a thumbs up.

[23:04] » [laughter]

[23:10] » Anybody have any further questions? For me.

[23:16] Good job. Thank you guys very much. Ladies and gentlemen. Appreciate it.

[23:22] Appreciate the whole board coming out. It's good seeing you guys again. Thank

[23:26] you.

[23:29] See you again. See you again. Good to see you.

[23:32] See you later. Thanks, Mr. Thanks always.

[23:40] Your cousin problems again. No, that

[23:46] fellow behind you.

[23:49] Thanks.

[24:01] Michael, good to see you.

[24:05] Now, you're you're Michael Brown, right? Haven't seen you for a while.

[24:10] You're getting younger, I think. Shouldn't your chairman be up there with

[24:13] you? Yeah.

[24:16] » [laughter]

[24:22] » Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. As a point of order, I kind of wondered what

[24:27] Commissioner North's role was going to be in this and whether he'll be more

[24:30] present since he's a voting member of both the Board of

[24:35] Trustees and of this body, if maybe one of the other board members

[24:40] we have at least two here present might assist Mr. Brown if necessary and

[24:48] and then I wondered whether Commissioner North is

[24:51] going to recuse himself from some or all of this uh

[24:55] uh decision-making. Okay.

[25:04] I don't think presenting this at this point in time is going to make any

[25:07] difference one way or another because there's no decisions made.

[25:11] When we're presenting stuff, you can ask questions and everything else. So, at

[25:15] this point in time, I don't think there's

[25:18] any conflict. I don't think there's anything else.

[25:22] So, Michael's going to be going over this.

[25:26] He's the one that presented this to the board,

[25:28] and the entire board approved this. So,

[25:33] I will be here basically

[25:37] in case there's any questions directed toward the board specifically.

[25:41] Do you two want to come up and sit up here too or a little bit or or you you

[25:46] get back there? Okay. All right. Um as we are just presenting

[25:52] uh we'll worry about it right now, but this may have to come up

[25:56] at a later point in the discussion, okay?

[25:59] Okay. Pearl Street Bridge when we get there.

[26:06] All right, Mr. Chairman, if you're ready, I'll start. Um

[26:09] So,

[26:12] with the we'll start with the mountain budget.

[26:15] Parks has two separate budgets. Um

[26:18] currently uh in the parks mountain budget, I have um

[26:23] portions of salaries for five full-time employees and two part-time employees.

[26:28] Uh last year administrative staff was um

[26:33] put at 40% at on the mountain and 60% on the lake. Um

[26:39] when we were doing budget reductions last June,

[26:42] I modified that slightly and went with a point 4167%

[26:48] um and the reason for that is that is a uh

[26:51] five full months of staff on the mountain, seven full months of admin

[26:55] staff on at the lake. It's just an easier break,

[26:59] uh, budget-wise and payroll-wise to to do that. So, just kind of clarified that

[27:04] a little bit. So, there's a slight increase there.

[27:07] Um, we're still waiting to, um, hire one

[27:11] more full-time operator and one seasonal, um,

[27:16] finding, uh, the right fit for the full-time operator

[27:19] on the mountain is a It's been a challenge.

[27:22] Uh, the applications we're receiving, um, either have no equipment experience

[27:28] or very little. And, um,

[27:31] so, we're still looking. Uh, fortunately, this winter with snow

[27:34] grooming, it was very light, so we were able to

[27:37] handle it with one operator. Um, but we'll continue looking for that

[27:41] position. So, that's built into these salaries, um,

[27:46] overall, I I did I know the request was to decrease where necessary, um, I did

[27:53] increase the mountain budget by 1.75%, which is $11,149.

[28:00] Um, some of that increase came from, uh,

[28:06] contract labor, which I increased by $20,000.

[28:11] That includes a a grooming contract for biathlon up to $20,000. We'll have to,

[28:16] uh, settle on that contract, um, in the coming months after the budget's

[28:21] approved with Casper Mountain Biathlon Club.

[28:24] Um, Central Wyoming Trail Main, uh,

[28:27] Alliance, uh, requested some funds for summer maintenance, summer trail

[28:33] maintenance, and and winter trail maintenance. They do the winter grooming

[28:36] on our single track that's used for snowshoes and fat bikes.

[28:40] Uh, $5,000, and then summer maintenance, um, they've been helping us out for

[28:45] several years on on maintaining um down trees and hazard trees and and

[28:51] doing the work on the summer trail master plan improving that. So, um parks

[28:56] board decided that would be beneficial to look into providing funds

[29:01] to them. Uh I also like to bring on the Wyoming

[29:05] Conservation Corps again this summer uh for a hitch in July. That's six

[29:10] individuals for six days. Uh Rotary Park the trail system there

[29:15] still needs improvement. The the the cable railing needs a lot of

[29:20] work. Some of the other trails need some work and erosion control. So, there's

[29:24] there's plenty of work there. And and that uh

[29:28] that's work that my staff can't handle. We just don't have the people or the

[29:33] time to do that with everything else. Um the miscellaneous contract of $5,000

[29:39] um that's just a kit as a as a little bit of a catchall to

[29:44] case contract comes up um for repairs or something that we need to

[29:48] do. Uh the other increase

[29:54] was in repair maintenance and contracts. So, we have Starlink at the trail

[29:59] center. Um that's been carried in the

[30:01] communications budget of the county with IT.

[30:05] Um speaking with IT uh it was decided that that should probably go into the

[30:10] parks budget um as the parks is a administrative board now

[30:16] uh to start carrying those over. And that runs about $2,000 a year.

[30:21] Our maintenance shop on the mountain uh the lighting there

[30:25] is old halogen lights. Uh they take a long time to warm up. Sometimes they

[30:30] don't work. Uh we'd like to upgrade those to LEDs. Um

[30:34] speaking with one electrician I think we could do most of it between 5

[30:40] and $8,000. Um Um, part of that shop is utilized by Roden Bridge, so

[30:46] uh, there's a possibility they could put some funding in there, but um,

[30:50] speaking with the electrician, we don't have to do them all at once. So, if we

[30:53] could get started with 5 grand, we would do the ones that they're used all the

[30:57] time. Um, so we have better lighting in there

[31:00] to work. Um,

[31:04] I did a small increase for Hells Half Acre line item of 1,500 dollars.

[31:09] This is due to um, the improvements we've done out there and the increased

[31:13] maintenance those will require. Um, going out there, possible replacement of

[31:19] boards if they get broken on the new boardwalk, um,

[31:22] replacement of signs, just general maintenance of the area. So, we increase

[31:27] that by 1,500 dollars. And the last line item on the mountain

[31:32] budget that was increased was um, it's called RMP implementation and

[31:38] resource management plan. I included 10,000 dollars again this

[31:42] year for additional gravel for the lodge parking. It may or may not be necessary.

[31:47] It may not need that much. Um, it's quite an improvement from last

[31:51] year. So, um,

[31:54] I put that in there so we can do that. Uh, we are still

[31:59] I'm pursuing quotes. I have not received them yet to put the storm drain inlet in

[32:04] as well. Uh, so some of that money may be used um,

[32:08] to fund that contract. Uh, I also included archery targets

[32:13] again. We had 35,000 dollars yet last year. We requested 70.

[32:19] Uh, What's that? Nothing. Those targets are

[32:22] on order uh, out of this current budget and will be

[32:26] um, paid for this fiscal year, but I asked for it again. Now, we do have a

[32:30] grant application pending. Um, I don't want to call the total

[32:35] amount for that. Um with Easton archery, uh

[32:41] we have not been denied our application yet. We made it through the process a

[32:45] couple of steps, but we haven't heard final yet.

[32:49] Uh so, we may or may not need those funds.

[32:52] Um and then I had $5,000 for for site

[32:56] improvements, uh redoing, um signs, uh some campsite

[33:02] improvements, replacing a few fire rings,

[33:05] and such. Um I'm good.

[33:10] Go ahead. On the archery grant, hopefully we will know that before we

[33:13] get to the point where we're looking at the final budget. Uh

[33:17] that had to be submitted by

[33:20] February 1st of this year, and the fact that we're still in an administrative

[33:25] review by Easton is a pretty good sign that

[33:30] that they're not they haven't kicked us out for deficiencies or anything more

[33:33] like that, so hopefully that will come through, and

[33:36] that will help out quite a bit.

[33:42] Go ahead. Uh

[33:44] what's the status of the shelters? Um so, we have submitted an

[33:50] application, uh through the state of Wyoming outdoor wreck fund.

[33:55] Uh we made it through the first hurdle. Uh

[33:59] we'll be doing a site inspection with some of the uh

[34:03] board members that select where the funds go for that grant on June 19th.

[34:08] Uh so, once we make that hurdle, we'll see see if we can get approved or not.

[34:15] Um What are those going to cost for, you

[34:18] know, you get the cost down on those?

[34:22] I I think we can do them somewhere in the 120 range. That's what

[34:29] they've always been. No, the one was $236,000

[34:33] was the bid we got for the custom one. We simplified them some. We removed

[34:39] We've gone back to the old location, so we don't have

[34:42] new road to build. We don't have additional parking to build. Um

[34:49] Not my first choice, however, um to to get them there.

[34:53] So, um the grant required a match

[34:58] and with a out of 1% 17, that's my next request was

[35:04] uh We had $40,000 in fiscal year 26 for an

[35:08] outhouse replacement. Well, uh a double stall outhouse is close to $100,000 now.

[35:15] Um the single stall at Hills Have Acres was

[35:18] $67,000. >> No, we've been at this for the whole my

[35:21] whole term of 4 years. Well, I've been This will be the third

[35:25] time I've applied for a grant for funding for those shelters.

[35:29] Um sometimes I I think I think there's with outdoor rec, I I believe some

[35:35] individuals don't necessarily think of shelter as outdoor rec. It's not a

[35:39] trail, it's not a bike trail, it's not hiking, swimming, hunting, fishing. It's

[35:45] It's a place to sit. However, it is outside. It's It's more

[35:49] of a gathering point, but uh um

[35:54] I'm I'm hopeful with this this round of grant application.

[36:01] But, in the 1% uh Yes, sir.

[36:05] We do have an on-site with the uh the board in June of this year.

[36:11] So, we did make it through the first first round.

[36:15] Uh they cut it down from about 85 people down to or 85 applications down

[36:20] [clears throat] to about 35. So, we're we are moving forward with

[36:24] that and that We'll find out more. that that

[36:29] funding won't be available until after July 1st. But hopefully

[36:34] we'll move forward. We have had a lot of community support

[36:38] for that grant request this time around. Thank you. Michael. Yes, sir.

[36:44] Your answer, your narrative, and everything pretty quick.

[36:47] Uh just a couple of bullet points I wanted to hit here. Uh

[36:51] additional 20,000 for contract labor. Why?

[36:55] Um well, that was $10,000 to Central Wyoming Trails Alliance. Um

[37:02] And then the Wyoming Conservation Corps, we don't do that every year.

[37:06] And um last year we reduced the contract labor and only paid Casper

[37:14] Mountain Avalanche Club $10,000 uh for the grooming.

[37:18] Uh it has been at 20,000. I wanted to at least

[37:23] include that as an opportunity of up to 20,000 so that when we negotiate that

[37:28] agreement if um

[37:30] cuz County Parks can't can't do the grooming over there

[37:34] uh for several reasons. Um staffing's one reason. The other reason

[37:39] is we we can't access our equipment through a good part of the winter uh cuz

[37:43] Tower Hill uh blows clear and we don't like to

[37:47] drive our tracked equipment over big large rocks and tear it up. Um to groom.

[37:53] Okay. Well, that's good. Um then in repair and maintenance it increased by

[37:59] 7,000. What was the increase? So, that was uh

[38:04] to bring in the uh contract for Starlink internet from IT's communication budget

[38:12] and to upgrade the shop lights. Okay. Those are listed right below that.

[38:17] » Mr. Chairman, that's on page two. >> Oh, he's he's looking at the budget

[38:21] sheet. >> Yeah, that's on page

[38:22] » Yeah, no, I I got it. I'm just hitting a couple of old points. I want to make

[38:24] sure I verify them. Good with And no bear trap again this year.

[38:29] Correct. There's no music festival this year.

[38:34] That was Townsquare Media's decision. Uh they notified me I think

[38:39] two, maybe three months ago. What was the reason?

[38:42] Uh same as the year before. They want to uh

[38:47] realign their priorities and and what they

[38:51] uh envision that event should be.

[38:55] Um so uh or at least that's what I was told.

[38:58] Uh they're under new management. >> of stuff going on over there. Yeah.

[39:03] And then the R&P is up significantly as well. Um

[39:08] So I included last year the archery target $35,000 was in a

[39:16] uh capital outlay fund. Mhm. And so I put it under

[39:21] this implementation. That may not be needed if we get the grant. Okay.

[39:27] And then additional gravel for lodge parking center if that

[39:34] Any other questions for the mountain portion?

[39:37] Mr. Did you want me to go through the 1% requests?

[39:42] I suppose. So in the um

[39:47] schedule for 1% 17 uh parks had $250,000 for a front end

[39:54] loader. Uh we're going to pursue that this year.

[39:57] More more likely it's going to be used equipment. Prime example is uh we needed

[40:02] to use our snowcat to remove snow on the mountain out of our parking lots because

[40:07] road and bridge was utilizing their loader that's stored on the mountain. So

[40:11] it wasn't available. Uh this happened several times

[40:15] throughout the year where we could use the loader. Uh we have a backhoe, but

[40:19] with 2 ft of wet snow, a backhoe's not going to do it.

[40:23] Um the outhouse replacement that was on um

[40:27] fiscal year 16 1% for $40,000, I'm requesting to carry that over and

[40:34] use that as a match for the shelter grant. That's part of the match. The

[40:38] other part is um in-kind labor

[40:42] and assistance from Road Bridge. Um

[40:46] the other fiscal year 16 1% was a 40 by 60 cold storage

[40:52] uh for a maintenance area to to relieve congestion within the shop.

[40:57] I'd like to carry that over until the property is settled. I I didn't want

[41:02] to build a building on property that we don't have a right to at this time.

[41:06] So, um So, those are my requests on the 1%.

[41:13] Mr. Chairman. Go ahead. The only figure that is um

[41:17] reflected in your current budget request is the $250,000.

[41:23] As Michael alluded to, the other two amounts were

[41:26] this current fiscal 1 cent. So, if we were to um approve those expenditures,

[41:32] they would become out of the 1 cent reserve.

[41:35] Thank you. Thank you.

[41:38] And and just to note, a few years back, I had $300,000 to replace the uh

[41:44] trail center waterline. Uh it was determined it wasn't necessary. That was

[41:48] a 1% uh funding deal that that we turned

[41:52] back. So, we have turned back some um

[41:56] 1% money for for the mountain in the past 4 years.

[42:00] Okay. Any questions?

[42:04] Lake. Okay, so our projected revenue for

[42:08] fiscal year 27 at the lake is $1.272 million.

[42:14] Our projected expenditure is $1.218 million.

[42:19] Currently, as of March 31st, there was a reserve balance of $1.067

[42:26] million. Um

[42:29] I anticipate having a positive year-end reserve balance of $867,000,

[42:35] approximately. Um after taking an admin cost put in the

[42:41] lake admin

[42:44] line item at 20% of $255,000. Um

[42:51] So, with the lake, we generate our own revenue, we balance our budget, we build

[42:57] an account for capital projects. Um

[43:04] There was a I guess a significant increase in the

[43:08] budget this year. Well, overall, uh there was an increase from 26 budget

[43:14] of 7.66%. Um which is equal to $86,690.

[43:22] Um the major increases there were um

[43:27] the lake sewer expense. Um Our lagoon

[43:32] We have two floating aerators. Um however, our BOD, which is biological

[43:39] I'm not really good with the terminology. Anyways,

[43:42] Yeah. That uh

[43:47] We're reaching our limit on that, and we need to pump more oxygen, take care of

[43:51] sludge better. So, we're looking at a uh a bubbler system, and it's approximately

[43:58] in the 90 to $100,000 range. Um so, that was big increase here. A big

[44:04] decrease was to capital equipment of $95,000.

[44:09] And the reason for that was um I moved

[44:14] some of the projects into the master plan implementation, and that's why that

[44:18] increased to 100,000. So, that was just kind of a switch to to

[44:23] better track what we're doing there. >> [clears throat]

[44:31] » So, lake lake sewer expense projects are in general maintenance and repair of our

[44:37] systems, and then replacement of the lagoon

[44:40] aeration with micro bubblers. Um the capital expense, we are still

[44:48] it's questionable, but we're still trying to figure out what's required by

[44:52] the EPA for our backup generators for our well and our

[44:57] lift stations. Um so, we're

[45:00] we haven't spent that money yet because we want to make sure that it's a

[45:05] requirement um before we do that, and sometimes it's hard to get those

[45:10] answers. Uh

[45:13] we'd like to uh continue on a program where we're

[45:16] replacing outhouse doors and frames. Uh we've

[45:20] carried a budget of $35,000 for several fiscal years now.

[45:25] Um we have 53 doors within the lake area.

[45:29] 53 what? 53 doors or 53 outhouse vaults uh to maintain. And so, doing 10 at a

[45:36] time kind of keeps us in a cycle of of overall maintenance, and it's

[45:42] less heartburn than trying to do them all at once.

[45:46] » [clears throat] >> I also have um this is an ongoing deal

[45:50] is $30,000 for picnic tables and fire rings. Um

[45:55] those constantly need replaced. People back into them, people burn them,

[46:00] people um yeah, they just wear out.

[46:05] And then for additional projects in >> a piece? No, that's for pro- 30,000 will

[46:11] probably get us 10 to 12 tables and 10 to 12 fire rings.

[46:20] Um under the master plan, additional

[46:24] campground improvements, we still like to

[46:26] improve, uh Westside campground, do dirt work,

[46:31] signage, leveling, um quite a bit of work there.

[46:36] And then the new maintenance shop, um this is carried over from last year.

[46:42] The site that we were really looking at to start with was on Bureau of

[46:47] Reclamation Um, so it would not be counting on property. Um, it was going

[46:52] to require a significant amount of dirt work. Uh, just looking at it, we were

[46:57] looking at 8 to 10 ft of cut and fill on each side

[47:02] of the um site to level it out as well as um the

[47:07] road grade going in there, even though it's only a 300 ft, was going to be 8%,

[47:12] which is fairly steep when you're pulling trailers and things from a stop.

[47:16] So, um I've got a new site.

[47:20] Uh, I need to I'm working on a plan. Uh, this would include

[47:25] uh, discussion of a of a land swap between the county and the BLM.

[47:31] I'm working out the details right now. I have not discussed it with the BLM.

[47:34] That's that's the next step. Um

[47:37] and then bring that forward and the possibility of it to the commissioners.

[47:44] There's there's county property that is not used and probably will never be used

[47:48] that I think would work well uh, for this.

[47:54] And um I think that's really the summary

[48:01] of the lake. Uh

[48:03] it was requested to uh determine the cost of the wage

[48:07] increases for a 1.5% increase. Those increases are included in my

[48:12] proposed budget. However, on page six, I did detail out um

[48:18] those costs of what that's going to cost.

[48:21] So, the mountain is $1,097 in total for wages and benefits to put

[48:27] that in place. And the lake is $1,382.

[48:36] Any questions?

[48:39] Mr. Chairman. Go ahead. Michael

[48:44] you mentioned a potential land swap with the BLM.

[48:48] Um

[48:57] Go on, Peter. I'm sorry. You didn't misspeak and mean the BOR, I No. So,

[49:05] I'm not 100% comfortable with the $100,000 for building

[49:12] and site plan design knowing how many years it takes to do

[49:17] one of these land swaps. So, I almost think that that's kind of just a

[49:23] placeholder that we don't really need to um retain. We don't really need a

[49:27] placeholder for. So, I hope you understand because I I

[49:32] know in the private industry or the private realm

[49:35] um a land swap with the BLM is

[49:39] probably a different thing than maybe with a governmental entity, but I'm

[49:42] assuming that there still are all kinds of um

[49:47] reviews, environmental reviews, and and other kind of hoops and hurdles to jump

[49:51] through and over. Um

[49:54] I'm sure there'll be environmental review, probably an environmental

[49:58] assessment um through NEPA by the BLM. Uh depending on that um

[50:04] the ground that the parks would like to own or the county

[50:10] own is a 40 acres behind the current lake maintenance shop. And

[50:15] we currently have a special use permit with the BLM to store empty boat

[50:21] trailers there uh on that parcel. It's fairly flat and

[50:27] the county own property is over by Steamboat

[50:31] Lake. There's 159 acres on the south side of Steamboat Lake that's owned by

[50:36] the county. It butts up to state and BLM properties. Uh

[50:42] I don't think it's being used for anything. I don't think there's any

[50:46] future use for it. Um so um they may be enticed by and I have no idea how long

[50:53] it's going to take. I I'm going to uh

[50:57] reach out to the BLM in the next few weeks and start having these discussions

[51:01] and maybe we'll have a better timeline at that point. But uh

[51:06] the ground a good 6 to 8 acres of the 40 acres is already

[51:11] disturbed ground that uh the parks would like the county to

[51:16] acquire for for use of the shop. Um the Bureau of Rec if we put it on

[51:21] Bureau of Rec property uh we will still go through environmental

[51:27] assessment. It would just be part of our management agreement. And the current

[51:31] management agreement expires in 2041, so the pench potential of

[51:37] an expensive building on property the county does not own

[51:42] um doesn't sit very well with with me to be

[51:46] honest. So I'd rather pursue this process. And I understand what you're

[51:49] saying is we could we could take that placeholder out.

[51:54] Um it would just be in the reserve fund,

[51:57] restricted fund to be used later. Um but if there's surveying required, if

[52:02] the BLM requires the county to do the surveying on the

[52:05] on the parcels that may be swapped, you know, funding for that would be

[52:10] beneficial. Uh this $100,000 was originally for site

[52:13] plan to basically survey the area. Get Get the boundaries determined and

[52:19] the grading plan for the site. So, I think I think you got to remove a zero

[52:24] from that and say $10,000 for some preliminary design, conceptual

[52:30] surveying. But I I don't think we need to allocate

[52:33] $100,000 to that. Um just doesn't doesn't seem

[52:38] appropriate. The other thing is at what point does this become a BOCC

[52:42] conversation rather than uh the Board of Trustees, Parks, um

[52:48] and a uh Michael Brown, Parks Director

[52:51] discussion because we need to go be be very thoughtful about um

[52:57] getting rid of county land, as I've always stated in every every instance,

[53:02] and then we need to be um fully on board with doing our duty to

[53:07] the public about acquiring. So, whether it's a swap, a purchase, or a

[53:10] divestment, um these are things that I think need to be in front of the county

[53:17] at at the appropriate time. >> So, I'm just not sure when that is.

[53:20] » As the Parks Director, my plan was to contact the BLM, have a general

[53:24] discussion about it, and see if they're even amenable

[53:28] to this idea. Um I can certainly bring it to the county commissioners

[53:34] with a proposal before I reach out to the BLM and have those

[53:38] discussions if if that's better direction.

[53:42] Commissioner Nickolaisen, the uh since these are extremely strictly lake

[53:48] funds money and they can't be used anywhere else,

[53:51] what that allocation does is it helps us also maintain with the BOR

[53:56] to pull to carry those funds over from year to year. So, if we have that

[53:59] allocation in there, it shows that we have

[54:04] a plan to move forward at some point in time, but it doesn't necessarily

[54:08] obligate us until we have everything in place, but by having that, because we

[54:13] have to go to the BOR and and request that carryover, this

[54:18] shows that we do have a plan for it, and it helps to preserve that

[54:23] that funding by doing that. Uh thank you,

[54:27] Commissioner, Trustee, Chairman North. My um thinking is that's kind of like

[54:34] when we have department heads or elected officials or others telling us,

[54:39] "Well, we we have this budget item in there just to have it in there so we

[54:43] don't lose it." Um there might be a better um

[54:48] use for allocation of of that $100,000. So, just because it's there

[54:54] doesn't necessarily um

[54:58] incentivize me to keep it there. I think I think there needs to be a purpose. So,

[55:01] it it just might be um a philosophical difference of opinion

[55:06] on what the appropriate amount is and whether there's any amount carried over

[55:10] or also that. Well, like I said, this this is these are lake fund fund money.

[55:15] I'm I'm clearly aware of that. >> And uh and the BOR is the one that can

[55:20] say yes or no. And if they say no, then the funding that we have reverts back to

[55:27] the BOR. Well, So, this this this just gives us a

[55:30] little bit more security. >> could be used for at the lake where uh

[55:35] maybe some of the constituents out there might have a a different feeling of

[55:39] whether that should be allocated for that or for

[55:43] who knows whether it's cabin side or the the trailer side or the uh

[55:48] or the campgrounds. So, anyway, that's just my two cents.

[55:55] Michael. Yes.

[55:57] The the >> [sighs]

[56:00] » 1.27 is

[56:04] all that restricted lake funds or is that some Yeah. That is all restricted

[56:09] lake funds. Our um

[56:13] So, we have currently we have two different restricted funds out there. Um

[56:19] and then we're working on the process to do an

[56:23] and what do we call it? A administrative a lake administrative

[56:28] restricted account um under the management agreement where

[56:32] allowed stake at admin costs. Um and they don't dictate the percentage.

[56:38] So, we also have a lake water

[56:41] and sewer restricted fund. And that balance

[56:45] as of March 31st was $128,725.

[56:50] Uh that's what pays for an example, we

[56:53] replaced two lift station pumps in the last month. That was $26,000.

[56:58] Um our our water and sewer repairs have

[57:02] been um rootax treated in the sewer system.

[57:07] Um things like that come out of that fund. And that fund

[57:12] doesn't have any capital outlay. We have a 70-year-old system and we're not

[57:17] building that fund. It's been decreasing over the last

[57:20] five years at least. Um

[57:23] And we're probably $100,000 down in the last five years.

[57:27] Um due to all the repairs and things that that had to do on that system.

[57:32] Um I have increased the uh uh service fees

[57:36] for water and sewer. I brought them um more on par with

[57:42] uh several different municipalities within the region.

[57:45] And took that average and that's what I'm charging now.

[57:49] Which was a significant increase to the permit fees over there. But that will at

[57:53] least keep the bleeding of this account down

[57:57] and hopefully increase it a little bit at a time.

[58:00] Uh so that we build this uh for these major repairs that we have.

[58:06] Okay. And And the current restricted fund

[58:09] balance is $1.067 million as of March 31st.

[58:15] Uh I expect $887,000

[58:20] in um revenue in the next month.

[58:26] Probably that would go into the restricted fund.

[58:43] I should not have that sheet with me. No.

[58:48] Um Yeah, that's approximate.

[58:51] Um due to the water permit fees that are due um June 8th.

[58:56] So we expect to have most of that and most of that comes in at the end of the

[59:00] fiscal year, so we use it to fund our budget uh for the next fiscal year. And

[59:06] that's why we don't carry over as much money as we used to.

[59:09] Okay.

[59:12] Any other questions?

[59:16] We're good. Thank you.

[59:58] » Here we got a couple minutes.

[1:00:25] Everybody but you. Everybody but you.

[1:00:33] 3 minutes.

Natrona County Board of County Commissioners - May 19, 2026

Transcript