Commissioners approve rebate, grants

The Hot Springs County Commissioners held a brief meeting on March 15 at the Annex building with all three commissioners present.

Starting off, county assessor Daniel Webber presented the tax rebate #1-22 - Parcel #6995 for the tax year 2019 (District 100) from Valkyrie Resources, LLC submitted by the Department of Revenue. The amount was $3,476.05. Webber said the rebate was due to a reporting error. The commissioners voted and passed to accept the rebate.

Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar presented the Shoshone National Forest Service Grant in the amount of $3,500. This is an agreement where Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Department will have some of their deputies provide their patrol services in the Shoshone National Forest.

This agreement is yearly and has been done for about 20 years. The commissioners voted and approved to accept the grant.

Jackie Dorothy presented three items to the commissioners. First was the Rural Energy Pilot Program Grant that would be used to fund a series of 36 solar panels at the H Diamond W Youth Camp. Dorothy said that she is not seeking funding from the commissioners, but a partnership, so that they could continue the grant application process with the USDA. The commissioners voted and approved to become a partner in the grant.

Second, Dorothy gave a Travel and Tourism update and said that they expect to be impacted by the rise in gas prices as most of the tourists travel by vehicle.

Dorothy added that the lodging tax revenue is up and that hotels are filling up more with tourists during the winter season, especially with fishermen. There are no construction projects in the area for the past year and tourists are showing a stronger presence than in previous years and this is the slowest season for the year. Dorothy also mentioned that Yellowstone National Park will celebrate its 150 year anniversary and they expect an influx of people and record numbers. Dorothy said that Yellowstone National Park is “begging” Hot Springs County to take the overflow. 

Lastly, Dorothy discussed a Wyoming Business Council Grant for the old county airport and said that she would be meeting with county planner Bo Bowman about it. They will be discussing what is on Bowman’s list of priorities and price points. Part of the discussion will be about creating infrastructure.