TORRINGTON – The Goshen County Commissioners convened for its first November meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Goshen County Courthouse. 

Chairman Michael McNamee was present with fellow commissioners Justin Burkart and Aaron Walsh. 

With the approval of the commissioners at the Oct. 3 meeting, Goshen County Fire Warden Bill Law announced that the Stage 1 Fire Restriction for the county was lifted as of the beginning of November. 

Nonetheless, all residents/property owners are still asked to stay vigilant of any potential fire dangers that exist. 

“What I always try to remind people is that there are some EPA requirements, Clean Air Acts and whatnot too, so it’s not just the fact that the fire restriction has been lifted,” Law explained. “Property owners are required not to be in violation of a lot of those types of things also.”

Any questions about controlled burning can be answered by calling the Goshen County Fire Warden’s office at 307-532-7952. Also, if anyone is planning a controlled burn please call the Torrington Dispatch Center at 307-532-7001 and provide location and times. 

For information about EPA rules and regulations about smoke management and air quality issues, residents can contact the Cheyenne DEQ office at 307-777-7346.

During his departmental report, Law also announced that he has begun the process of transitioning out of his office for his retirement in January. As of Jan. 1, Law will step down from his position as the Goshen County Fire Warden. Law has been the fire warden since 2004.

The commissioners announced that current emergency manager Thomas Bozeman will be taking over the position. 

“When the fire warden position came open, we tried to look at a whole host of things whether that’s costs, increasing wages, and whatnot,” Burkart said. “It just made sense that we would resize Tom’s duties to encompass the fire warden duties.”

This change will help the county cut down costs involving salary, vehicles, computers and cell phones.

“To me, it just makes sense, because [they both] are in a lot of meetings together anyways,” Burkart continued. “The fire warden position here is a part-time thing and I just think that combining those makes sense. Now, [that’s not to say] that those positions won’t be separated again in the future.”

“Tom has a depth of knowledge, but he doesn’t come across as overbearing,” Law said. “[Knowing he’s up for the job], is a load off of my shoulders. I’m happy to be stepping out of this; I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly.”

County Information Technology Director Jesse Bowen presented the commissioners with a proposal to purchase a drone.

“We started this drone program in 2017,” Bowen said. “The drones are used for a lot of different things, like search and rescue and emergency management. We filmed the flood when it happened, and the highway patrol and sheriff’s department has used them on occasion.”

“The biggest problem with the program now is the drones are outdated and they’re not supported anymore,” he continued. “We can’t get equipment for them. If we’re going to continue this program, we’re going to have to keep upgrading the equipment.”

According to Bowen, out of the current drones the county has, both are old and one even has a bad camera that can’t be replaced because of outdated technology. They are looking at possibly two new medium drones. These drones would also have streaming through the same program as the sheriff’s department’s body cameras. 

The commissioners agreed that while they can understand the need to update the drones, they also know that there are several other proposals for funding that have been presented lately. 

Along with the drones, the commissioners have also been asked to review proposals for changing to Civic Plus and upgrading the county’s website. 

“Instead of coming to the commissioners and [asking for funding for individual projects], I’d like to review all the projects at once and have the commissioners prioritize what is the most important,” Burkart said. 

This would allow the commissioners to look at all of the proposals together and make their decision based on the funding available and the most urgent issues. It would also help the county look at some grants to help offset the costs of these projects. 

The commissioners requested to have the information on each project by the next meeting, so they can make a decision at that time.

Goshen County Planner Mike Tietjen told the commissioners about the recent complaint and cite-visit to the Lewis Feedlot outside of Lingle. Several months ago, the commissions were informed the feedlot did not hold a current DEQ permit, however, they were in the application process to get it up-to-date. At the time, it was expected the permit would be approved in August.

Presently, the permit still has yet to be approved and is said to still be pending. Tietjen told the commissioners that he recommended that the owner follow up with the DEQ and find out what is delaying the process. 

The commissioners interviewed retired commissioner John Ellis for a position on the county’s planning board. Ellis spoke about his background and why he felt he would be right for the job. After the interview, the commissioners said they would visit together and get back to Ellis and Michael Ridenour, the other applicant, to let them know their decision. 

The county is still looking for applications for a supervisor position at the Goshen County Road and Bridge. There are also several other positions available within the road and bridge department including grater operators and mechanics.

During the chairman’s opening comments, McNamee announced that the Goshen County Planning Commission will be holding a public meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Rendezvous Room. This event is a time to discuss the specific regulations regarding solar projects.

McNamee also recognized and congratulated the local sports teams who are going to state and the FFA members who placed at the National FFA Convention. 

The next meeting of the Goshen County Commissioners will take place Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. in the Goshen County Courthouse at 2125 East A Street.