Commissioners agree to satisfaction of judgment in Tipi Retreat case

The Hot Springs County Commissioners met on June 3 for their first regular meeting in June. The commissioners were asked to approve the filing of a Satisfaction of Judgment in the District Court case in which the Tipi Retreat and its owners were ordered by the court to pay fines to the county for their violation of the county’s land use regulations. With only minimal discussion, the commissioners agreed to allow the Satisfaction of Judgment to be filed with the court. This action follows up on the commissioners determination to enter into an agreement, by which all disputes between the county and the Tipi Retreat are fully resolved.

The commissioner’s received an update on the progress of the GIS project in which Brian Clarkson and Maddie Ross reported that progress is being made to update the system to reflect updates to the septic data model for the county. Those efforts are continuing, and a further update will be provided at a future meeting of the commissioners.

Nate Messenger provided a status report on the operations at the airport. He reported that there had been 192 operations at the airport last month. Last month, the airport sold 853 gallons of aviation fuel, and 2,768 gallons of jet fuel.

Shane Rankin advised the commissioners that the Road & Bridge department was continuing with the project at the old airport, and Black Mountain Road.

County Planner Les Culliton reported that his office had been working on some updates to the By-Laws used by the Land Use Commission. When completed, those changes will be provided to the commissioners for approval. He also reported that Rick Nicholson has taken over as the chair of the Land Use Planning Commission.

John Dorman gave a report from the maintenance department, and advised the commissioners that they were still awaiting ordered materials to complete the door locks updates at the county courthouse.

Connie Guntly appeared on behalf of the Hot Springs County 250 Committee to request that the commissioners sign a letter of support to allow the committee to apply for some funding that is available from the State of Wyoming for events to commemorate the 250th anniversary in 2026 of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The commissioners unanimously agreed to sign the requested letter of support.

Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar provided the commissioners with an update on the actions of the Courthouse Security Committee. He reported that the committee had installed all but one of the new security cameras at the courthouse, however, they are still using the old system until the new video system comes fully online. He advised that the department currently has eight deputies working in the detention center, and there are five ceputies who are working on patrol, including himself.

Carson Riley appeared by Zoom to discuss a request from the FAA that the county release some of their unused 2022 Entitlement Funds under the Airport Improvement Plan, so that those funds can be used by Johnson County, who has a need for them at this time. Next year, Johnson County will be asked to release their 2026 funds to reimburse Hot Springs County. He stated that such requests had been made by the FAA in preceding years, and there had never been a problem. The commissioners agreed to the request.

In other business, the commissioners approved a request for a letter of support for the Town of Thermopolis Safe Street and Roads, to make a grant request to study the needs for traffic control devices, in order to make local streets safe to travel for both motor vehicles and pedestrians alike.

The commissioners also approved a request to approve an assignment of a Hanger Ground Lease on Lot 1, Block C at the airport.

The commissioners additionally approved a request from the Wyoming Health Fairs to use the County Annex Meeting Room for their monthly health screening events.

Finally, the commissioners approved the County Health Officer Agreement with the Department of Health Services, which provides for a contribution of $10,000.00 per year for the next four years. There has been no increase in the county’s annual contribution for many years.

The County commissioners are scheduled to meet again on June 17 at 3 p.m.