HSC Rural Water Joint Powers Board discusses assessment of funding

The Hot Springs County Rural Water Joint Powers Board (HSCRWJPB) met on March 16 at the Annex building.

In old business, there was a discussion about the assessment of funding and how much money each entity would contribute. The Hot Springs County (HSC) Commissioners have already contributed $5,000. There was discussion about using EDUs to gauge the different district’s contributions, but it was also noted that HSC does not have any existing customers and therefore there are no EDUs from them to use. After further discussion, the board voted and passed the approval that each district would contribute $1,000 to start, and later on, EDUs can potentially become part of the assessment. 

At the time of this meeting, the Town of Thermopolis and the Red Lane Water District are not members of the board. The Town recently made a resolution to move forward with the application to drill in the Lysite Mountain, but if the Town will become a member of the HSCRWJPB, that will require a separate resolution. The Red Lane Water District is still working on getting formally established to become a board member.

The HSCRWJPB also held a discussion about their by-laws. They also voted and passed the approval to have a PO Box. They tabled the vote for a bank account because they will send letters of interest to various banks to make sure they can secure their depository. 

Ginger Brown from Ardurra Engineering informed the board about some USDA pre-development grants that they could potentially apply for. Attorney for the board, Virgil Kinnaird, from Sheridan, recommended that they talk to the USDA with some questions to explore their possible applications. 

Chairman Tom Ryan also asked Tom Anderson to speak with the board as they discussed collaboration in finding the best location for drilling for the water. Anderson said he has a 40-year career as a geologist in the Big Horn Basin and is volunteering his experience to assist with the process. In the previous board meeting, former county planner Lee Campbell spoke about the importance of choosing the “best minds” for the location of the drilling for water.

The board also ratified both the Updated Notarized Resolution 23-1 and the Certificate of Organization. Their next meeting will be on Thursday, April 20 at 5 p.m.