The Niobrara Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, December 16, 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 gave an update of a meeting with DEQ regarding the pits the county has permitted. He said that it might be best to close all pits due to the quality of the material in them, but he is considering leaving one pit open.
Brian Wakefield with BenchMark of Torrington met with the Commissioners and Foreman Thomas to discuss winter road rehab projects. Thomas said that the last four miles on the west end of 20 Mile Road are bad due to heavy truck traffic. He needs to have gravel available at the Manville Pit before the county commits to a project.
Old Business-
Leslie Stewart met with the Commissioners to discuss the voluntary remediation program with the State for asbestos remediation cost assistance. Commissioner Hanson moved to join the Voluntary Remediation Program. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
Community Juvenile Services Board- Vice-Chair Griffith said the Juvenile Services Coordinator position is ready to be posted. Applications are due by December 29th, and it is a 20-hour per week position. This is a grant funded position.
New Business-
Resolution 25-12- Commissioner Hanson moved to approve Resolution 25-12 setting the Commissioner Meeting Dates for calendar year 2026. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. A complete copy of the resolution is available on the County’s website: https://www.niobraracounty.org/commissioners/resolutions.
Resolution 25-13 – Commissioner Hanson moved to approve Resolution 25-13 setting the official county holidays for calendar year 2026. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. A complete copy of the resolution is available on the County’s website: https://www.niobraracounty.org/commissioners/resolutions.
Road Crossing Permit – Vice-Chair Griffith moved to approve the petition of Bootheel 7 Livestock to cross Wasserburger Road located in T38N, R63W, Section 33: S2SE4 to install a three (3) inch sleeved water pipeline. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
Fairgrounds Roof Repairs- Commissioner Hanson moved to approve the estimates from Apex Energy Services to remove all blue metal off the roof as well as the 12’ parapet wall on the southeast corner and replace all with 26 gauge 3’ panels with exposed screws, replace all trim, and repair stucco to match the existing for a total of $58,005.00. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
State Public Defender- The Commissioners received notices of pending appointments from the Office of the Wyoming State Public Defender, pursuant to W. S. S. 7-6-103(f), for Diana Hardwick as a full-time Appellate Counsel and Brittany Thorpe and Donna Domonkos as part-time Appellate Counsel. The Commissioners had no objections to these appointments.
The Commissioners considered entering annual maintenance contracts with Long Technologies. The Commissioners had discussed this topic previously, but the contracts were too expensive. The Commissioners suggested calling Long for a yearly service appointment.
Employee Bonuses- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to award employee bonuses of $200 to full-time employees and $150 to part-time employees. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
Canon Copier Full-Service Contracts- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to approve two Canon Copier Full-Service Contracts with Copier Connection Inc. for copier models IRA-DXC3730 located in the courthouse. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
County Attorney- Attorney Anne Wasserburger joined the meeting and said she had reviewed the contract for Child Support, and it was okay to sign.
Amendment One to the Cooperative Agreement for Child Support Program- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to enter Amendment One to the Cooperative Agreement for responsibilities between WY Department of Family Services, Child Support Program, and the Niobrara County Clerk of District Court. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
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 December 2, 2025, meeting and receipts for November from the County Clerk for $3,857.74, from the Clerk of Court for $739.99, and from the Sheriff for $375.00.
There being no further business, Chairman Wade adjourned the meeting.
NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Patrick Wade, Chairman
Attest:
Becky L. Freeman, County Clerk
Public Notice No. 6318 published in The Lusk Herald on January 14, 2026.
