WHEATLAND – In a department head meeting prior to the regular commissioners meeting, it was reported since the beginning of the year, emergency management coordinator and fire warden Tony Krotz said he is continually looking for grants to fund the county’s volunteer fire departments and offset continual underfunding, and after property tax reductions, a reduction in annual funding from mill levies. He is still planning to have a full-scale test of emergency sirens this spring, and had planned for the first of March to do the test, however he didn’t feel it would be good to do so soon after many local residents were evacuated during the Sawmill Road fire.
In February, emergency responders went “from the ice to the fire,” with a multi-day ice rescue at Glendo Reservoir, followed by the 1,100-acre fire east of Wheatland during a high wind event.
After a compliment by Krotz to road and bridge superintendent, thanking his crew for their quick response and assistance to bring a county blade to help create a fire break during the Sawmill Road Fire, there was an ensuing discussion with county commissioners that resulted in the plan to provide proper fire equipment for road and bridge employees, including emergency fire tents - and the training on how to use them.
Commissioner Steve Shockley commented, road and bridge personnel have been valuable asset during fire events, and they have been utilized more and more, so it is important to give them basic equipment to help keep them safe.
Krotz also said the very next day after the Sawmill fire which was started by a downed REA line near East Laramie River Road which was able to be put out quickly.
“The firemen did an amazing job I can’t say enough for the firemen in Platte County, and they’re all volunteers,” Krotz said.
Sheriff's office
The Platte County Detention Center has seen an increase in federal ICE detainees increase from one to three individuals in a month to one to three in a week. Negotiations with the federal contract for inmates at the detention center are going well, with the sheriff’s office potentially getting an increase per individual, bringing the fee to around $150 per detainee, in the new contract.
Sheriff David Russell told commissioners at their meeting, the new CAD (computer access device) system is moving forward for dispatch of emergency personnel in the county. He said Guernsey is 100 percent on board with the change, and he plans to meet with Wheatland police officers to teach them how to use the new system. He also said he is setting up sub-stations for deputies in Glendo (at the fire all) and Chugwater (as the business building) to increase the ability of citizens to communicate with deputies, and to be a tradeoff of dispatch fees for increased law enforcement presence.
Deputies are also doing increased walk-throughs of local businesses and schools.
Commissioner Ian Jolovich thanked the sheriff and commented, the increase of law enforcement presence and walk-throughs is making a huge difference in the communities in Platte County.
Clerk of court

Clerk of court Mona McAuley said 450 juror summonses were sent out the beginning of the month, and it is estimated the county will end up with about half that number as a juror pool which begins April 1. McAuley also reported there are no jury trials scheduled for March.
County assessor
Assessor Danette Eppel discussed legislation which has passed this session will require the Wyoming Department of Revenue to adjust her computer systems to work correctly with the new laws. She had meetings this week with the revenue department to discuss how to properly implement the new regulations, and until the end of the session last week she couldn’t give good estimates of the full impact of the tax bills on the county’s revenue from property taxes.
Public Health
Public health nurse Penny Simonton said she is trying to get the word out that free colon screening kits are available at public health. She added, colon cancer is a preventable cancer if caught early. Her office is also preparing for outreach events the next three months, and she welcomes the opportunity to train nursing students over the next couple months.
There has also been much in the news, some of which is political, concerning MMR and measles outbreaks, and her office has had calls inquiring as to whether people should get their MMR boosters or if they should be concerned about measles. “We educate them,” Simonton said, adding. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with vaccines, because the ACIP, which normally meets to determine the immunization schedule, has been suspended indefinitely. We have to wait and see.”
Public Health is also gearing up for COVID spring boosters for seniors 65 and older. “It brings in a little bit more revenue for us, which is good because we’re kind of floating to see what’s going to happen (with budget cuts, etc., nationally.)”
Simonton has had good feedback about her weekly radio chat on KZEW, 101.7 FM. She hopes to have approval to pay for the radio spots through the end of the year using remaining COVID funds. “We’ll see what happens for next year. I don’t want to give it up – it’s a good thing, but with budget stuff and budget cuts, I don’t know – we’ll see,” she said.
“I agree, sometimes the only time public health interfaces with some people in the public, so I think it’s a good thing you guys are doing,” commissioner Ian Jolovich said.
Camp Guernsey
Lt. Col. LaQuendin Counts, Camp Guernsey deputy base operations commander, told the commissioners Camp Guernsey is working to bring up the status of their fire equipment. “I’m pleased with our team because at the end of last fire season, we were seeing 60 percent of our equipment and vehicles being utilized and effective. We are now seeing 85 percent of fire apparatus being utilized.,” Lt. Col. Counts said.
He also said the base will be increasing numbers in through-put of troops, beginning with 3,500 in the next month and continuing to increase from there. Lastly, Lt. Col. Counts said they were finalizing a 2025 mutual aid partner joint exercise the base wants to host to kick off sometime this spring.
County Clerk
County clerk Malcolm Ervin said he will be sending budget memos to county departments early this year. He said he is asking for a priority list showing what needs to remain funded in the department to continue functioning, so if there needs to be cuts, he can cut things that are not as much of a priority if needed, depending on estimated budget cuts from what finally comes out of the legislature this year. In essence he said he is looking for long-term department goals so he can defer to that goal to keep funding in place where it can help achieve that.
Asked if he thinks there will be staff cuts in the county as a result of lowered funding, Ervin said it doesn’t look like the county will need to do that this year. He added, it will ultimately be up to the commissioners to determine what is or is not cut in the budget.
“Budget workshops will surely be more difficult than in the past. There will be conversations of what needs to be cut, and the goal obviously is not to punish the public, but at some point, you have to let people see: this is the result of cutting property taxes. They fund actual services,” Ervin said.
Chairman Shockley added, “I saw a lot of comments of people thankful about the fire departments, etc. in the last few weeks. But nowhere does it say, ‘Brought to you by property taxes,’ It’s really nice when you have something like that (Sawmill Road fire) and they show up.”
Other business
In other business, the commissioners approved an amended road use agreement to reflect a new DEQ permit for a Glendo area silica mine to increase its estimated maximum tonnage from 500,000 to two million tons.
Bookout said he is still dealing with the challenge and expense of stolen road signs, which add up to approximately $300 per sign plus labor to replace. He added, he has old signs with “true patina” if anyone really wanted one – they don’t need to steal the ones needed for traffic navigation. He is also concerned about people shooting road signs, pointing out sometimes there are houses or animals right behind the bullet-hole showing a dangerous trajectory for a bullet.
A complete inventory of cattle guards throughout the entire county have been surveyed and noted as to what maintenance needs to be done. The road and bridge work order program is “coming along and will be very valuable,” Bookout reported. “People will be able to understand all costs associated with the different projects.”
Bookout was able to get two used WYDOT sweeper brooms for the dump truck, which will serve multiple purposes, but will be particularly important as a backup during chipseal operations.
An important issue Bookout felt necessary to bring to the meeting was to make commissioners aware Road and Bridge may be shutting down Ayers Road at some point in the near future to make extensive repairs. He said, “Right where the road curves (at Festo Lake), you can watch the road sponge when you jump on it….In the meantime, something that is a big deal: people need to slow down in that area – they have been doing fishtails and donuts. If the road stays squishy and spongy…there could be an accident.”