The Niobrara Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Those present were Chairman Patrick Wade, Vice-Chair Elaine Griffith, Commissioner Jeb Hanson, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman.
Chairman Wade led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Road and Bridge- Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners and provided a departmental report. He talked about gravel pits that the county uses and said he would like to close all but the Wasserburger and Wilson pits. He will meet with DEQ tomorrow to review the permitted gravel pits. He discussed reclamation processes the County must perform and required paperwork from landowners before closing them. He also started an online course to obtain certification to inspect county gravel pits.
Brian Wakefield with BenchMark of Torrington joined the meeting. The group discussed developing a winter road rehabilitation project. Mr. Thomas will review roads to discuss at the next meeting.
County Attorney- Attorney Anne Wasserburger joined the meeting and the group briefly discussed the Manville Spur.
Old Business-
Old Jail- Representatives from Wyoming DEQ- Solid and Hazardous Waste Division will meet with the Commissioners and Old Jail Steering Committee members to discuss the Brownsfield and Orphan Site Remediation Program.
Snow Removal- The Commissioners discussed snow removal, in particular, compensation and whether the individual will be a temporary seasonal employee or an independent contractor. Commissioner Hanson moved to enter into an independent contractor agreement with Chris Pavone for snow removal from December 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026, with compensation at $2,000.00 per month. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
Juvenile Services Board- Vice-Chair Griffith updated the group on the program. She said the job description is complete and the Juvenile Services Board will meet on Thursday to finalize details.
New Business-
Public Hearing- Chairman Wade opened the public hearing at 10:00 a.m. to receive public comment on the renewal of the retail liquor license for Paleo Park. There was no one present to speak in favor of or in opposition to the issuance of the license. Chairman Wade closed the hearing at 10:04 a.m.
Retail Liquor License Renewal- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to renew the retail liquor license for Paleo Park. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried. The term of the license is January 5, 2026- January 4, 2027.
Consent Agenda- Commissioner Hanson moved to approve the consent agenda. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. Items on the consent agenda were the minutes of the November 21, 2025, meeting.
Michael DeJohn, Acquisitions and Development with Capital Growth Buchalter, met with the Commissioners via telephone to inquire about acquiring approximately 1.5 acres of the NE corner of the fairgrounds property to develop a Dollar General. Chairman Wade explained that a different developer approached the County for a different project. He further stated that the County does not want to compete with private landowners, and Vice-Chair Griffith said she was not in favor of selling fairgrounds property to Dollar General.
Public Hearing- Chairman Wade opened the public hearing at 11:01 to receive public comment on the Updated Natural Resource Management Plan. Heidi Sturman and Lisa Shaw were present. There was no one in attendance to speak in favor of or in opposition to the adoption of the updated plan.
Resolution 25-11- Niobrara County Natural Resource Management Plan- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to approve Resolution 25-11, adopting the updated Natural Resource Management Plan. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
Old Jail- Cindi Martinez, Brownfield and Orphan Sites Remediation Program Supervisor with the WY DEQ Solid and Solid and Hazardous Waste Division met with the Commissioners and Old Jail Steering Committee members Leslie Stewart and Greg Starck to discuss asbestos abatement at the old jail and available grant funding to assist with that process. She will also provide a timeline of what needs to be submitted to DEQ and deadlines for the next meeting, if possible.
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Bills are listed in the following format: Vendor- Department- Description- Amount- November Payroll- $149,790.03, Aflac- Various- Supplemental insurance- $6,438.11, Allbright’s True Value- Various- Parts, supplies- $64.03, Alsco- Road & Bridge- Shop towels & coveralls- $232.02, Amazon Capital Services- Public Health- Supplies- $174.76, Anne Wasserburger- County Attorney- Supplies- $568.47, Ashley Clark- LATCF Grant- Decals for SO vehicles- $225.00, Benzel Pest Control- Facilities- Justice center pest control- $97.92, Black Hills Energy- Various- Utilities- $1,897.96, Boldon Diesel Service, LLC.- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs- $32.70, Boldon Welding & Repair, LLC.- Road & Bride- Equipment repairs- $111.61, Canon Financial Services, Inc.- General County- Copier lease payments- $330.00, CenturyLink- Various- Telephones- $1,552.53, CenturyLink Business Services- Various- Telephones- $82.15, Chantry Filener- General County- IT expense- $410.00, Computer Projects of IL, Inc.- Dispatch- Computer expense- $198.00, Connecting Point Computer Centers- Various- Copier service agreements- $332.72, Converse County- General County- IT expense- $400.00, Cory Wilcox- Coroner- Deputy Coroner- $150.00, Delta Dental of WY- Various- Dental insurance- $1,024.60, Dennis C. Meier- Circuit Court Magistrate- Office rent- $1,000.00, Double A Properties, LLC.- Various- Office rent- $1,500.00, Empower Trust Company, LLC.- General Co.- Deferred Compensation- $24,065.00, Fish Window Cleaning- Facilities- Window cleaning- $1,500.00, Frank Parts Co.- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs, parts- $1,199.07, Geographic Innovations- Various- Professional mapping services- $1,500.00, Goshen County Detention Center- Detention- Inmate housing- $55.00, Grainger- Facilities- Justice center maintenance- $239.28, GreatAmerica Financial Services- Sheriff- Copier service agreement- $103.00, Hiway Brake & Alignment- Various- Vehicle repairs- $237.61, Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance- Facilities- Fairgrounds & public health building cleaning contracts, fairgrounds event booking contract- $8,405.00, Johnson Controls- Facilities- Justice center maintenance- $2,549.00, Kassidy Miller- Prevention grant- Operational supports, travel expense- $405.75, Lexie Painter- Extension- Contract labor- Fair board bookkeeping- $600.00, Long Building Technologies- Facilities- Library maintenance- $2,553.07, Lusk Herald- General County- Publications- $1,379.99, Lusk State Bank- General County- Payroll taxes- $44,327.96, Mark C. Hardee Law Office, P.C.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney fees- $158.60, Matthew Bender & Co., Inc.- Clerk of Court- Supplies- $254.31, Michelle Kremers- Public Health Nurse- Travel expense- $77.70, NCIC Inmate Communications- Detention- NCIC Tablets- $137.09, Niobrara County Assessor- Assessor- Postage- $32.40, Niobrara County Hospital District- 1% Option tax- $30,649.70, Niobrara County Library- Reimburse for deferred comp.- $2,900.00, Niobrara County Public Health- Prevention Grant- Indirect costs- $329.81, Niobrara County Sheriff’s Office- Sheriff- New equipment- $10.00, Niobrara Electric Association- Various- Radio tower electricity- $60.77, Olsen Crecelius Legal Group, LLC.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney fees- $204.00, Palen Law Offices, LLP.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney fees- $3,048.00, Rapid Fire Protection, Inc.- Facilities- Fairgrounds maintenance- $1,690.00, Rawhide Drug Co.- Detention- Inmate medical- $92.38, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.- Public Health- Vaccines- $564.60, Swanson Services Corp.- Detention- Inmate commissary account- $571.48, Thompson Safety, LLC.- Sheriff- Schools- $960.00, Thomson Reuters-West- County Attorney- Law library- $163.13, Town of Lusk- Various- Utilities- $2,716.02, Traci Bruegger- Facilities- CH, Library, Justice Center cleaning contract- $4,300.00, Tyler Technologies- Treasurer- Computer expense- $82.69, Verizon Wireless- Various- Phones, computer expense- $439.65, Visa- Various- Fuel, supplies, travel expense, postage, medical supplies, IT expense- $3,003.50, Vision Service Plan- Various- Vision Insurance- $482.66, Visionary Broadband- Various- IT expense- $353.28, Westco- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $4,866.93, Western States Sheriffs' Association- Sheriff- Schools- $250.00, Wex Bank- Various- Fuel- $2,466.69, WY Dept. of Health – Public Health- Co. share of quarterly reimbursement of PHN salary to the State- $9,167.02, WY Enterprise Technology Services- Various- IT expense- $57.21, WYDOT Financial Services- Various- Fuel- $2,542.78, Wyoming Gun Company, Inc.- Sheriff- Firearms- $3,949.95, WY Law Enforcement Academy- Dispatch- Schools- $790.00, Wyoming Lawn Sprinklers- Facilities- Sprinkler system maintenance- $200.00, Wyoming Educators’ Benefit Trust- General County- Health & life insurance- $33,781.58, Wyoming Machinery Company- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs, parts- $2,550.47, Wyoming Network, Inc.- General County- IT expense- $200.00, Wyoming Retirement System- General County- Law enforcement retirement- $17,142.52, Wyoming Women’s Center- Detention- Inmate Meals- $2,545.60, November Total- $389,524.86
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Patrick Wade, Chairman
Attest:
Becky L. Freeman, County Clerk
Public Notice No. 6316 published in The Lusk Herald on December 24, 2025.
