The Niobrara County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 8:59 a.m. Present were Chairman Patrick Wade, Vice-Chair Elaine Griffith, Commissioner Jeb Hanson, and County Clerk Becky L. Freeman.
Also in attendance were Sheriff Randy Starkey, Patti Miller of The Lusk Herald, Bobby Giesse, Marlin Godfrey, and county commissioner candidates Tiffany Thurston and Kevin Baars.
Chairman Wade led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Road & Bridge - Foreman Fred Thomas met with the Commissioners to discuss county roads and bridges.
Bobby Giesse addressed the Commissioners regarding the condition of 28 Road. He said the road had been in poor condition for years. He also said the ranch has sustained thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs because of the road. Mr. Giesse suggested forming a committee to develop a plan for county roads and maintenance.
Chairman Wade noted that it had been some time since the Commissioners had received complaints regarding county roads and asked Mr. Giesse whether he had any specific solutions to propose to fix the issues. Mr. Giesse said he did not have any at this time.
Foreman Thomas said 28 Road had been bladed. He explained that the weather had been very dry. Because of this, the Road and Bridge Department try not to disturb the roads unless it is needed. Mr. Thomas also said Niobrara County has approximately six hundred miles of county roads to maintain.
County Attorney- Attorney Anne Wasserburger met with the Commissioners to discuss county business.
The Commissioners joined a meeting of the Legislative Joint Revenue Committee Meeting via Zoom. They listened to a discussion about taxes on pipelines and other linear infrastructure taxation.
Elected Officials- Public Health Nurse Supervisor Melanie Pearce discussed an online community survey. She said only twenty people had completed the survey. The survey showed that people with good health insurance are more likely to receive wellness and preventive care. It also showed that families often take their children outside the county for medical exams and treatment.
Ms. Pearce asked if Public Health could sell a county-owned laptop to Monica Wilcox. She said the laptop is almost five years old, and the grant administrator said to follow the county’s procurement/disposal policies. She also said her online research showed that the laptop was worth between $50.00 and $200.00.
Vice-Chair Griffith moved to allow the Public Health Nurse Supervisor to sell the laptop to Monica Wilcox for $100.00. Commissioner Hanson seconded, and the motion carried.
Treasurer Keri Thompson said the tax sale had been conducted, and she is working on mineral true ups.
County Clerk Becky Freeman discussed elections.
Sheriff Randy Starkey said the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally had been slow this year. He also said the jail remained busy.
Chairman Wade discussed the Zoom meeting with the Legislative Joint Revenue Committee regarding linear infrastructure taxation.
Snow Removal- Vice-Chair Griffith said she received a text from Chris Pavonne expressing interest in the snow removal contract this year.
Commissioner Hanson moved to award the snow removal contract to Chris Pavonne. The group reviewed the contract from last year and noted that changes needed to be incorporated. Commissioner Hanson withdrew his motion.
Consent agenda- Commissioner Hanson moved to approve the consent agenda. Vice-Chair Griffith seconded, and the motion carried. The consent agenda consisted of the minutes of the August 25, 2026, meeting, and a Notice of Valuation Change for Castle Rock Oil LLC., resulting in a tax roll supplement of $51.14.
Payroll and the following vouchers were approved for payment:
Bills are listed in the following format: Vendor- Department- Description- Amount- August Payroll- $167,290.99, Absolute Solutions- Various- New equipment, equipment repairs- $1,450.00, Aflac- Various- Supplemental insurance- $4,350.57, Allbright’s True Value- Various- Parts, supplies- $114.65, Alsco- Various- Shop towels, coveralls, door mats- $385.97, Anne Wasserburger- Various- Supplies- $33.98, Barb DeGering- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $239.95, Barnes Law, LLC.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $426.40, Becky Blackburn- Elections- Election help- $49.50, Becky L. Freeman- Elections- Fuel- $20.00, Benzel Pest Control- Facilities- Pest control- $97.92 Black Hills Chemical & Janitorial- Facilities- Fairgrounds supplies- $1,016.23, Black Hills Energy- Various- Utilities- $247.60, Bob Barker Co., Inc.- Detention- Commissary Account- $111.62, Boldon Diesel Service, LLC.- Road & Bridge- Parts, equipment repairs- $528.61, Brenna Brimer-Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $296.50, Canon Financial Services, Inc.- General County- Copier lease payments- $330.00, Carla Stroh- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $238.20, Carmen Shane- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $215.00, CenturyLink- Various- Telephones- $1,327.66, CenturyLink Business Services- Various- Telephones- $85.20, Charm-Tex- Detention- Commissary Account- $266.08, Connecting Point Computer Centers- Various- Copier service agreements- $665.79, Converse County- General County- IT expense- $200.00, Converse County Public Health- Public Health- Vaccines- $950.00, Cory Wilcox- Coroner- Deputy Coroner- $150.00, Crimson Fire Protection- Various- Fire extinguisher inspections- $498.06, Danese Reed- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $286.35, Decker’s Market- Various- Supplies, inmate medical- $41.04, Delta Dental of WY- Various- Dental insurance- $930.30, Dennis C. Meier- Circuit Court Magistrate- Office rent- $1,000.00, Donna Thompson- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $215.00, Double A Properties, LLC.- Various- Office rent- $1,500.00, Elaine Francis- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $211.75, Elections Systems & Software- Elections- Ballots- $612.00, Empower Trust Company, LLC.- General Co.- Deferred Compensation- $23,590.00, Frank Parts Co.-Various- Parts- $1,910.92, Fritz’s Septic- Election- Equipment mtnc.- $275.00, Garretson Design- Facilities- Window treatments- $1,534.00, Geographic Innovations- Various- Professional mapping services- $1,500.00, GreatAmerica Financial Services- Sheriff - Copier service agreement- $103.00, Heather Irvine-Goddard- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $241.10, Honey Badger Towing & Recovery, LLC.- Sheriff- Towing abandoned vehicles- $163.00, Intab- Elections- Supplies- $662.26, Jameson Cleaning & Maintenance- Facilities- Fairgrounds & public health building cleaning contracts, fairgrounds event booking contract- $9,960.00, Jessica Wilson- 250 Celebration- Photography & videography- $250.00, JoAnn Wade- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $233.20, Jocelyn Forkner- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $209.50, Julieanne Greenough- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $215.00, Justin Jones- Facilities- Justice center maintenance- $100.00, Karen Alvis- Elections- Travel expense- $148.63, Karen Gaukel- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $238.50, Kassidy Miller- Prevention grant- Operational supports- $40.00, Kathy Coon- Elections- Election Judge, training- $195.00, Kaufman Glass- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $350.00, LeAnn Dixon- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $296.50, Lexie Painter- Extension- Contract labor- Fair board bookkeeping- $600.00, Lisa Shaw- 250 Celebration- Supplies- $200.00, Lorrie Reed- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $209.50, Lusk Herald- Various- Publications- $5,085.73, Lusk State Bank- General County- Payroll taxes- $49,541.83, Mark C. Hardee Law Office, P.C.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $48.00, Michelle Kremers- Various- Travel expense- $262.96, Monica Wilcox- Public Health Response Coord.- Travel, supplies- $203.48, Motorola Solutions, Inc.- HLS Grants- New equipment- $56,757.50, Mountain States Lithographing- Elections- Supplies- $82.27, NCHS Skills USA- 250 Celebration- Supplies- $624.00, NCIC Inmate Communications- Detention- NCIC Tablets- $296.43, Niobrara County Hospital District- 1% Tax Option- $23,719.60, Niobrara County Library- Reimbursement for def. comp.- $3,625.00, Niobrara County Public Health- Prevention Grant- Indirect costs- $312.93, Niobrara Election Association- Various- Radio tower electricity- $61.52, Niobrara Historical Society- 250 Celebration- IT expense- $1,489.04, Niobrara Senior Center- 250 Celebration- Transportation- $200.00, ODP Business Solutions, LLC.- Supplies- $156.23, Palen Law Offices, LLP.- Clerk of Court- Court appointed attorney- $264.00, Pamela Tyson- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training - $243.00, Peyton Kottwitz- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $138.20, Platt Custom Harvesting & Repair- Sheriff- Vehicle repairs- $279.00, Ronda Pfister- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $248.65, Ryan’s Custom Design- 250 Celebration- New equipment- $1,872.00, Schindler Elevator Corp.- Facilities- Quarterly maintenance- $1,637.57, Sun Ridge Systems, Inc.- Various- Schools- $2,800.00, Swanson Services Corp- Detention- Commissary- $317.00, Teri Bruegger- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $296.50, Thomson Reuters-West- County Attorney- Law library- $171.29, Town of Lusk- Various- Utilities- $3,633.86, Traci Bruegger- Facilities- CH, Library, Justice Center cleaning contract- $4,300.00, Tyler Technologies- Treasurer- Computer expenses- $82.69, Uline- Elections- Supplies- $676.62, UW College of Ag, Live Sciences- Extension- Co. share 4-H educator quarterly salary- $2,000.00, Velvet Dorwart- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $228.35, Verizon Wireless- Various- Phones, computer expense- $436.65, Vickie Scott- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $230.00, Visa- Various- Supplies, postage, dues, travel expense, maintenance, medical supplies, IT & computer expenses- $3,893.29, Vision Service Plan- Various- Vision Insurance- $423.06, Visionary Broadband- Various- IT expense- $577.70, Vivian Fahy- Elections- Election Judge, travel, training- $266.05, Westco- Road & Bridge- Fuel- $7,631.35, WYDOT Financial Services- Various- Fuel- $3,301.57, Wyoming Association of County Offices- Various- Dues- $300.00, Wyoming Educators’ Benefit Trust- General County- Health & life insurance- $39,055.08, Wyoming Lawn Sprinklers- Facilities- Maintenance- $266.58, Wyoming Network- General Co.,- IT expense- $200.00, Wyoming Retirement System- General County- Law enforcement retirement- $20,835.96, August Total- $473,001.21.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:37 a.m.
NIOBRARA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Patrick Wade, Chairman
ATTEST:
Becky L. Freeman, County Clerk
Public Notice No. 6421 published in The Lusk Herald on September 23, 2026.
