The Niobrara County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 8:59 a.m. Present were Chairman Patrick Wade, Vice-Chair Elaine Griffith, Commissioner Jeb Hanson, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman.
Those in attendance included Brandie Bartlett of The Lusk Herald, Tiffany Thurston, and John Midkiff.
Chairman Wade led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Road & Bridge- Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners and reported that approximately 57,400 tons of gravel are in the county’s stockpile at the Manville Pit.
He purchased two jackhammers for road and bridge at the Matney Auction for a total of $3,400.00.
He noted that two additional areas on 20 Mile Road require spot graveling.
Vice-Chair Griffith asked whether Mr. Thomas had any suggestions for a winter road project. Several roads were discussed, but no decision was made.
County Attorney - Deputy County Attorney Doyle J. Davies met with the Commissioners to discuss the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) contract. After speaking with the Assessor and confirming that everything was in order, he recommended signing the agreement.
Old Business
Old Jail- Commissioner Hanson said he had not received any updates from the Department of Environmental Quality regarding the old jail project.
New Business
Resolution 26-06- Setting Election Districts and Precincts - Commissioner Hanson moved to approve Resolution 26-06, adopting the official voting districts and precincts for Niobrara County for the next two years. 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/_departments/_commissioners/Resolutions.asp
Elected Officials and Department Heads
Kellie Chichester updated the Commissioners on the switch to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) through Visionary Communications for the Extension Office and Shooting Sports Building.
She said she would be gone the following week and that the office might be closed in the mornings. She also reported that she had not received any updates regarding the University of Wyoming’s hiring of a
4-H Educator for Niobrara County.
Treasurer Keri Thompson said her office is busy collecting tax payments and assisting customers with tax relief applications.
Assessor Teri Stephens said her staff is preparing to begin fieldwork next week.
County Clerk Becky Freeman said she was busy preparing the budget and working on elections. She reminded those in attendance that the filing period for county offices is May 14 through May 29, 2026.
Vice-Chair Griffith said she would be attending a Wyoming County Commissioners’ Association Board of Directors meeting in Worland the following week.
Chairman Wade said the County had signed on as a cooperating agency with the Bureau of Land Management for the Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project.
ESRI Contract- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to approve the ESRI Small Government Enterprise Agreement. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
Commissioner Hanson moved to sign the financial agreement between the Town of Lusk and Niobrara County for the ESRI Regional Government Enterprise Agreement, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
Justice Center HVAC- Sheriff Starkey met with the Commissioners and presented proposals from Johnson Controls to install a new rooftop HVAC unit for the jail, dispatch, and front office. Johnson Controls would also replace two boilers and a hot water tank. The Commissioners asked him to forward the proposals to the County Attorney for review before the next meeting.
Commissioners’ Scholarship Awards- Vice-Chair Griffith moved to award three Commissioners’ Scholarships to Cody Himes, Joaquin Cassiano, and Kayden Goodwin, and to award the renewal scholarship to Lainey Single. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried. The scholarships are for $500 per semester
Set Election Judges Pay- Commissioner Hanson moved to increase election judges’ pay to a flat rate of $155.00 per election, $40.00 for mandatory attendance to at least one election judge training, $10.00 per hour for counting, absentee, write-in, and canvass/audit boards, and reimbursement for round-trip mileage beyond ten (10) miles at the current county rate. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried.
Vice-Chair Griffith moved to continue using the ES&S DS200 vote tabulator machines for the 2026 election cycle in accordance with Wyoming Statute 22-10-102. 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 included the minutes of the April 21, 2026, meeting, receipts for the month of April from the County Clerk in the amount of $5,923.84, and receipts from the Clerk of District Court in the amount of $1,296.95.
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment: Bills are listed in the following format: Vendor- Department- Description- Amount- April Payroll- $153,816.94, 14 County Tire-Various- Vehicle repairs- $353.79, Absolute Solutions- E-911- New equipment- $40,795.70, ACCI Life skills- Community Juv. Services.- Supplies- $1,750.00, Aflac- Various- Supplemental insurance- $5,358.34, Albany County Sheriff’s Office- Detention- Inmate housing- $10,750.00, Allbright’s True Value- Various- Parts, supplies- $163.97, Alsco- Various- Shop towels, coveralls, door mats- $468.05, Anne Wasserburger- Various- Supplies- $339.18, Becky L. Freeman- Elections- Travel expense- $150.80, Black Hills Energy- Various- Utilities- $1,106.63, Boldon Diesel Service, LLC.- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs- $667.93, Boldon Welding & Repair, LLC.- Facilities- Equipment repairs- $86.33, Campbell County- Commissioners- Co. share natural resource tour- $297.00, Canon Financial Services, Inc.- General County- Copier lease payments- $330.00, CenturyLink- Various- Telephones- $1,493.56, CenturyLink Business Services- Various- Telephones- $72.36, Chantry Filener- General County- IT expense- $925.00, Christopher Pavone- Facilities- Snow removal- $2,000.00, Cindi Wood, CWLS- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $3,962.17, Connecting Point Computer Centers- Various- Copier service agreements- $329.06, Converse County- General County- IT expense- $400.00, Cory Wilcox- Coroner- Deputy Coroner- $450.00, Crimson Fire Protection- Road & Bridge- Equipment maintenance- $754.50, CTA Technology, LLC.- Homeland Security Grant- New equipment- $4,875.00, Delta Dental of WY- Various- Dental insurance- $1,002.30, 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- $24,515.00, Fire and Ice Mechanical- Public Health Nurse- Equipment repair- $338.24, Floyd’s Truck Center, Inc.- Road & Bridge- Parts- $7,092.08, Frank Parts Co.- Road & Bridge- Parts- $625.97, Fridge Freeze- Public Health Grant- New equipment- $5,404.00, Fusion Cloud Service- Various- Telephone- $1,395.26, Geographic Innovations- Various- Professional mapping services- $1,500.00, GreatAmerica Financial Services- Sheriff & Extension- Copier service agreement monthly & annual- $2,137.78, Heartland Embroidery, Inc.- Emergency Mgmt.- New equipment- $68.00, Honey Badger Towing & Recovery, LLC.- Sheriff- Abandoned vehicles- $115.00, Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance- Facilities- Fairgrounds & public health building cleaning contracts, fairgrounds event booking contract- $9,117.50, Jub Jub, Inc.- General County- IT expense- $60.00, Kassidy Miller- Prevention grant- Operational supports, travel expense- $157.45, Lexie Painter- Extension- Contract labor- Fair board bookkeeping- $600.00, Long Building Technology- Various- Equipment maintenance- $1,683.32, Lusk Herald- General County- Publications- $1,397.45, Lusk State Bank- General County- Payroll taxes- $45,170.28, Matney Auction Service, LLC.- Road & Bridge, New equipment- $3,400.00, Michelle Kremers- Various PHN- Travel expense- $179.81, Miller Construction- Facilities- Building maintenance- $985.00, Mobile Concrete- County Road Fund- Gravel- $90,000.00, NCIC Inmate Communications- Detention- NCIC Tablets- $108.63, Niobrara County Assessor- Various- Supplies- $300.00, Niobrara County Circuit Court- Payroll- Garnishment- $1,031.31, Niobrara County Hospital District- 1% Option tax - $17,798.54, Niobrara County Library Board- Qtrly. tax allocation in lieu of monthly mill levy payment, reimbursement for def. comp.- $51,579.89, Niobrara County Public Health- Prevention Grant- Indirect costs- $354.80, Niobrara Electric Association- Various- Radio tower electricity- $61.74, Olson Tire, Co.- Assessor- Vehicle repairs, new equipment- $957.56, Platt Custom Harvesting & Repair- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $106.98, Pomp’s Tire Service, Inc.- Road & Bridge- Equipment repairs- $2,734.48, Quadient Leasing USA, Inc.- General County- Quarterly postage meter lease payment- $1,202.19, Rapid Fire Protection, Inc.- Facilities- Justice center maintenance- $1,475.00, Smith Psychological Services- Dispatch- Employee medical- $400.00, Stephens-Peck, Inc.- County Clerk- Subscription- $125.00, The Master’s Touch- Assessor- Mailing service- $487.57, The Radar Shop- Sheriff- Radio repair & expense- $455.00, Thomson Reuters-West- County Attorney- Law library- $163.13, Town of Lusk- Various- Utilities- $3,035.50, 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- $378.92, Visa- Various- Supplies, new equipment, postage, subscriptions, dues, IT & computer expenses- $2,177.29, Vision Service Plan- Various- Vision Insurance- $470.86, Visionary Broadband- Various- IT expense- $479.08, Westco- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $6,199.87, Wex Bank- Various- Fuel- $2,821.71, WY Enterprise Technology Services- Various- IT expense- $96.75, WYDOT Financial Services- Various- Fuel- $1,933.46, Wyoming County Assessor’s Association- Assessor- Dues, travel expense- $290.00, Wyoming Department of Health- Public Health Nurse- Quarterly PHN reimbursement to State- $9,349.21, Wyoming Educators’ Benefit Trust- General County- Health & life insurance- $40,389.58, Wyoming Machinery- Road & Bridge- Parts, repairs- $822.93, Wyoming Network, Inc.- General County- IT expense- $200.00, Wyoming Office of Guardian ad Litem- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $497.00, Wyoming Retirement System- General County- Law enforcement retirement- $16,850.51, April Total- $598,823.15
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. 6371 published in The Lusk Herald on May 27, 2026.
