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Hot Springs County Sheriff seeks to add K-9 unit

At the December 7 Hot Springs County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners held a public hearing regarding Resolution 2021-08, fiscal year 2021-22 Budget Amendment No. 1. The resolution reflected the Big Horn Basin Nature and Discovery (BHBND) WYDOT Tap Grant for $100,000 and also some unanticipated revenue for a jail overpayment for $4,537. There were no public comments, and the commissioners voted and passed to approve the resolution.

Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar presented a request for permission to apply for a grant for the Law Enforcement Assistance Program. It’s a 100% grant with no match up to $150,000. There were certain restrictions on items the grant program would not allow. However, Kraushaar would like to apply for the fund to purchase a trained K-9 unit for the department and pay for the training of the deputy handler. They would also need to upgrade a vehicle unit to have a caged area for the dog and climate control electronics as well. The estimated cost for all of this is approximately $20,000 to $25,000. Deputy Shayna Cox would be the appointed handler. 

Commissioner Jack Baird expressed some concern if there might be some turnover in the staff. Sheriff Kraushaar said that he does not foresee that being a problem, but the dog can be handed off to another deputy if there is a change in staff. Kraushaar added that the shelf life of the service for a K-9 unit is about six to seven years and costs would include veterinarian care, food, and a ballistic vest for the dog. Kraushaar also said that their K-9 unit will not be a bite-dog for offensive purposes but a drug-sniffing trained and handler protection dog. The commissioners voted and approved Kraushaar to apply for the grant. 

For the GIS Project update, Cody Stewart of the assessors’s office said that she met with County Planner Bo Bowman and had a discussion on how to create a query for the GIS system to reflect Land Use classifications for parcels. Stewart added the land use classification info for GIS and for Bowman’s use are not always the same, but they are moving forward to address the discrepancies. Stewart also looked into easement rights information with Road and Bridge. There was also a discussion on how gravel work would be tracked and reflected in the system. Stewart said that there would be more training for the GIS. Chairman Tom Ryan said the report was good and that they hoped people would use the GIS system and get training. 

Tricia McPhie gave the Public Health and Prevention report and said they will begin advertising the full-time public health response coordinator position. McPhie said there will be a contract for that role in January, but the state has said McPhie can start advertising. McPhie added that there will be much training involved in the position. 

McPhie continued her report and said the foot clinic resumes that week. Also, the Covid clinic is every Thursday and some Fridays. Boosters were started being administered on October 28. The Public Health office has given over 700 Covid vaccinations, in all brands, configurations, and ages. Hot Springs County is still third in the state for vaccination coverage at 47%, behind Teton and Albany counties. 

A brief discussion was held between commissioner Phil Scheel and McPhie regarding the status of the pandemic and the current protocols in effect.

Les Culliton gave his maintenance report and said that the water meter at the Annex building has failed. Culliton received a recommendation to change the two-inch meter to a residential three-quarter inch sized meter which will require a plumber.

The Law Enforcement Center’s exhaust fan has been repaired in the generator room. Also, they need to upgrade the combo units in the cells along with an upgrade to plumbing through the office spaces due to failure of piping, flush valves and faucets. An engineer and a contractor would need to be involved to make a plan for the work. 

 Nate Messenger from the airport gave the FBO report and said they had 118 total recorded operations during past month. Of those, three were air ambulances. There were two aircraft held overnight and there were two requests for a hangar.

Regarding fuel sales, they sold 2463.73 gallons of Avgas and 697.3 gallons of jet fuel. Messenger continued and said, “Traffic was down this month but consistent with past years. Fuel sales were good, mostly due to Bemidji Aviation hauling UPS freight. They will continue through Christmas.”

Shane Rankin gave the Road and Bridge report. Their department has been blading where needed as the weather has allowed.

Rankin said they have been doing sign maintenance and replacing the fire number signs. The new signs are much easier to read in the dark than the previous ones. The sheriff’s department and emergency medical services have been giving “rave reviews’’ of the work.

Rankin added there was money left over in the account for this work. Rankin also wants to add more work to the next budget cycle. There was also a discussion between the commissioners and Rankin about the possibility of getting funds from the Fire Department for the fire signs. 

Bo Bowman gave his County Planner’s report and said the NRPC did not meet in November but will meet in December. Representative John Winter will attend. They will discuss the 30x30 Plan and then draft a recommendation to give to the Hot Springs County Commissioners. 

The Land Use Planning Commission will not meet in December but will meet in January whether they have planning items or not. For the Dufour Land Use Change Permit, the applicants asked for more time to pursue an engineer to design a replacement septic system. For the Porath Land Use Change Permit, it has been withdrawn, Bowman said he would keep an eye on it and has encouraged the Porath’s to complete their application.

Bowman said that there have been concerns about enforcement on some applications.

Chairman Tom Ryan said regarding the Porath application they are not opposed to their development. Their main concerns are the safety issues of the access to the property from the highway. 

Bowman also reported regarding the sketch plan of the subdivision south of town. He compiled some comments from several people and passed them along. 

Bill Gordon gave the Emergency Management report and presented the 2021 SHSP Program Grant for the purpose of purchasing one mobile radio for a vehicle and four portable radios for emergency use. The cost is $14,816.70. Chairman Ryan mentioned that it seemed to be “a lot of money” for the items. Gordon said, “they are that expensive.” The commissioners voted and approved the grant.

Gordon also brought up a Wyoming Gas Pipeline safety request. Gordon said, “They inquired whether or not they had any lines near what they described as identified locations anywhere near their main transmission line. And they do not. There’s none of what they describe as identified locations which were nursing homes, places inhabited by so many people through so much time each year. They’re simply out there in the hills.” The commissioners will draft a letter in response to the inquiry.

Gordon also said, “The update and revision of the Region 6 All Hazards Mitigation Plan has been completed and is posted on our county home page for public review.” The public review period is now through December 22. Gordon added, “If people go to the website, they can see that document. It covers the four counties in the Bighorn Basin and then has a specific annex at the end for each individual county.” There is also a link to a Google doc where people can submit their comments.

In other business, the commissioners voted and passed the approval of the Court House and Law Enforcement Center’s re-roof contract with Redd Roofing in the amount of $825,733. Also, the commissioners voted and passed the approval of the HSG Master Plan RFR #15 for the amount of $8,339.47. 

 

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