The Niobrara Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 9:02 a.m. Those present were Chairman Patrick Wade, Vice-Chair Elaine Griffith, Commissioner Jeb Hanson, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman.
Members of the audience included Dan Henry Hanson, Velvet Dorwart, Dan Ritter, Waive Sheppard, Bobbie Giesse, Pam Tyson, Dave Tyson, and Brandie Bartlett representing The Lusk Herald.
Chairman Wade led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
County Attorney- Attorney Anne Wasserburger met with the Commissioners to discuss the amended resolution regarding the appointment of a deputy prosecutor. She said that the way the amended resolution is written and referring to the particular case, limits the scope of the appointment. She said that the main reason for the resolution is to ensure there is not a liability issue. She stated that they are granting authority to her that she already has by statutes. She asked the Board to act on this matter at their next meeting, as she needs to confirm dates for the new trial.
Road & Bridge- Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners and said gravel is being crushed at the Manville Quarry and they have been hauling available gravel to N. Lance Creek Road. They plan to place some gravel on 20 Mile and V-5 Hilltop Roads. Once more material has been crushed, the Commissioners, Foreman Thomas, and BenchMark of Torrington engineers can meet and develop a 2026 Road Rehabilitation project.
It was noted that the trees blown down at the fairgrounds had been cleaned up and employees’ time and equipment usage was tracked for insurance purposes.
Velvet Dorwart thanked Fred for keeping the mail route roads clear and travelable.
Old Business-
Old Jail- Commissioner Hanson reported on a conversation he had with Cindi Martinez with the WY Department of Environmental Quality regarding the County’s application for the Voluntary Remediation Program. The application has been approved and forwarded to a project manager who will facilitate further action.
Community Juvenile Services Board- Vice-Chair Griffith reported that they had an interview with the applicant and Clerk of Court Chrisanna Lund was going to reach out to offer him the job.
New Business-
Community Enhancement Application- The Commissioners discussed if there was a need for any trees at the courthouse through this program, and it was determined that there did not seem to be a real need at this time. It was suggested to forward this information to the fair board and Vice-Chair Griffith said she would reach out to them.
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 January 20, 2026, meeting and receipts for December from the Public Health Nurse for $5,847.98, and from the sheriff for $251.25.
Wind Energy- The Board heard comments from Dan Ritter, Bobby Giese, and Mark Groh regarding the proposed Sidewinder Energy Project. They spoke in opposition to the proposed wind energy project and wanted to ensure transparency from the Commissioners. Mr. Ritter presented an email to the Commissioners asking Commissioner Hanson to recuse himself from any discussion or votes on the wind energy project as there is the appearance of him meeting with individuals associated with the project.
Lexie Ashurst, Chair, and Dan Schmidt, Superintendent of the Niobrara County School District, met with the Commissioners to discuss the proposed reorganization of the school board. She presented a handout explaining the reorganization, which would reduce the number of trustees from nine (9) to seven (7). She said the main reason for her visit is to explain to the Commissioners the role they will play in assisting with this reorganization. In order to develop a proposal to submit to the State Committee, a District Boundary Board needs to be established. She explained that a District Boundary Board is comprised of the commissioners, treasurer, and assessor, from Niobrara and Goshen Counties. Once a District Boundary Board is established, they may appoint a subcommittee of not less than three District Boundary Board members from each county.
Commissioner Hanson moved to form a District Boundary Board. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. Commissioner Hanson moved to amend his motion to appoint the Board pursuant to W.S.S.21-6-203(b)(vi), which states the district board shall be comprised of commissioners, assessors, and treasurers from Niobrara and Goshen Counties. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
WYDOT- Mark Williams, WYDOT District Engineer and other representatives from WYDOT met with the Commissioners and presented their annual State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) which includes their mission, vision, and values as well as proposed road maintenance projects for this area.
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Bills are listed in the following format: Vendor- Department- Description- Amount- January Payroll- $160,985.64, Aflac- Various- Supplemental insurance- $5,387.24, Allbright’s True Value- Various- Parts, supplies- $288.58, Alsco- Various- Shop towels, coveralls, door mats- $669.09, Anne Wasserburger- Various- Supplies- $87.13, Apex Energy Services, LLC.- LATCF Grant- Fairgrounds auditorium roof repairs- $58,005.00, Atlantic Data Systems- Detention- IT expense- $629.60, Becky Blackburn- VOCA grant- Supplies- $120.31, Black Hills Chemical & Janitorial- Various- Cleaning supplies- $996.97, Black Hills Energy- Various- Utilities- $2,216.61, Boldon Welding & Repair, LLC.- Road & Bridge- Parts- $58.28, Canon Financial Services, Inc.- General County- Copier lease payments- $330.00, CenturyLink- Various- Telephones- $1,550.24, CenturyLink Business Services- Various- Telephones- $75.84, Charm-Tex- Detention- Inmate commissary account- $267.82, Chrisanna Lund- Clerk of Court- Jury fees- $146.48, Christopher Pavone- Facilities- Snow removal- $2,000.00, Connecting Point Computer Centers- Various- Copier service agreements- $327.88, Converse County- General County- IT expense- $400.00, Cory Wilcox- Coroner- Deputy Coroner- $150.00, County Clerks Assoc. of WY- County Clerk- Dues- $500.00, Dan Northway- Facilities- Electrical repair- $217.50, Delta Dental of WY- Various- Dental insurance- $1,002.30, Decker’s Market- Detention- Commissary account- $2.79, Dennis C. Meier- Circuit Court Magistrate- Office rent- $1,000.00, Dooley Oil Inc.- NE- Road & Bridge- Gas & oil- $715.83, Double A Properties, LLC.- Various- Office rent- $1,500.00, Empower Trust Company, LLC.- General Co.- Deferred Compensation- $24,165.00, Entenmann-Rovin Co.- Sheriff- New equipment- $401.45, Federal Safety Compliance Center, Inc.- Road & Bridge- Parts- 298.50, Fire Nebula Web Design- 250 Anniversary Grant- IT expense- $522.80, Frank Parts Co.- Various- Maintenance, parts- $218.07, Fusion Cloud Service- Various- Telephone- $1,388.32, Geographic Innovations- Various- Professional mapping services- $1,500.00, Global Industries- Facilities- Supplies- $187.98, Goshen County Detention Center- Detention- Inmate housing- $220.00, GreatAmerica Financial Services- Sheriff- Copier service agreement- $103.00, Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance- Facilities- Fairgrounds & public health building cleaning contracts, fairgrounds event booking contract- $8,960.00, Jub Jub, Inc.- General county- IT expense- $60.00, Kassidy Miller- Prevention grant- Operational supports- $40.00, Lexie Painter- Extension- Contract labor- Fair board bookkeeping- $600.00, Laramie Peak Heating & Air- Road & Bridge- Repairs- $353.00, Long Building Technologies, Inc.- Facilities- Library maintenance- $876.00, Lusk Herald- General County- Publications- $956.15, Lusk State Bank- General County- Payroll taxes- $46,519.99, Madison Rut- Detention- Inmate medical- $500.00, Mark C. Hardee Law Office, P.C.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney fees- $124.80, Medicare Part B- Public Health- Vaccine- Medicare overpayment- $243.04, Mobile Concrete, Inc.- County Road Fund- Gravel- $90,000.00, Mobius Communications Co.- Treasurer- Equipment repairs- $45.00, NCIC Inmate Communications- Detention- NCIC Tablets- $270.85, Niobrara County Fair Board- Quarterly tax allocation in lieu of mill levy- $26,722.41, Niobrara County Hospital District- 1% Option tax- $22,548.09, Niobrara County Library- Reimburse for deferred comp. & quarterly tax allocation in lieu of mill levy- $50,854.89, Niobrara County Public Health- Prevention Grant- Indirect costs- $353.54, Niobrara Electric Association- Various- Radio tower electricity- $61.84, Office of the State Public defender- Clerk of Court- 2026 Co. supplement of the Office of the State Public Defender Budget (W.S.S. 7-6-113)- $10,306.22, Olsen Crecelius Legal Group, LLC.- Clerk of Court- Public defender fees- $297.00, Olson Tire Co.- Sheriff- Tires- $959.34, Palen Law Offices, LLP.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney fees- $240.00, Porter, Muirhead, Cornia, & Howard- General County- FY25 audit- $71,000.00, Quadient Leasing USA, Inc.- General County- Quarterly postage meter payment- $1,202.19, Rawhide Drug Co.- Detention- Inmate medical- $62.79, Swanson Services Corp.- Detention- Inmate commissary account- $869.53, Thomson Reuters-West- County Attorney- Law library- $163.13, Town of Lusk- Various- Utilities- $2,951.20, Traci Bruegger- Facilities- CH, Library, Justice Center cleaning contract- $4,300.00, Tyler Technologies- Treasurer- Computer expense- $82.69, Uinta County Public Health- Public Health MCH- Supplies- $70.00, United States Postal Service- General County- Postage- $10,000.00, UW College Of Agriculture, Life Sciences- Extension- UW car expense- $554.40, Verizon Wireless- Various- Phones, computer expense- $399.30, Visa- Various- Supplies, new equipment, postage, subscriptions, dues, IT & computer expenses, justice center maintenance- $7,520.19, Vision Service Plan- Various- Vision Insurance- $470.86, Visionary Broadband- Various- IT expense- $479.08, Westco- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $2,485.70, Wex Bank- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $542.30, WY Dept. of Health- Public Health Lab- Public Health- Medical expense- $28.00, WY Enterprise Technology Services- Various- IT expense- $105.94, WYDOT Financial Services- Various- Fuel- $1,868.57, Wyoming Clerks of District Court- Clerk of Court- Dues- $300.00, Wyoming Coroner’s Association- Coroner- Dues- $175.00, Wyoming Educators’ Benefit Trust- General County- Health & life insurance- $41,250.08, Wyoming Machinery Company- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs, parts- $1,501.15, Wyoming Network, Inc.- General County- IT expense- $200.00, Wyoming Retirement System- General County- Law enforcement retirement- $18,597.14, Wyoming Office of Guardian ad Litem- Clerk of Court- Co share for guardian ad litem fees- $464.42, Wyoming Women’s Center- Detention- Inmate Meals- $2,416.10, January Total- $697,015.08.
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. 6340 published in The Lusk Herald on February 25, 2026.
