Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
The Sundance City Council has taken the necessary steps to direct the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, with whom the city contracts for law enforcement coverage, to enforce certain city ordinances while appointing a special municipal officer to issue civil citations.
The council has been working towards this goal since last year, with the intent of having deputies enforce a select number of ordinances while leaving the civil ones to Public Works Director Mac Erickson as the city’s enforcement officer.
Sheriff Jeff Hodge met with Council Member Joe Wilson earlier this year to go over the city’s ordinances to figure out which ones should be enforced by deputies and which should be left to Erickson. With this first step complete, two motions finalized the plan at Tuesday’s regular meeting.
The council first moved to appoint the sheriff and deputies as peace officers able to enforce those specific municipal ordinances, such as for dogs at large.
A second motion was passed to appoint Erickson as a special municipal officer. His job, as described in the motion, will be, “to issue municipal citations pursuant to Wyoming Statute 7-2-103(a-e) to individuals for the limited purpose of enforcing ordinances, resolutions, regulations in the area of animal control, parking and municipal code enforcement.”
Both motions passed unanimously during the meeting.
Water Project
At Tuesday’s meeting, Karla Greaser also presented a fee estimate and agreement for Trihydro to provide design, engineering and overseeing the bid process for the 3rd Street Waterline and Cleveland Street project.
The goal of the American Rescue Plan Act-funded project is to repair a major water leak through which the city estimates it is losing 50,000 gallons of water per day and to relocate service taps located on an old, four-inch galvanized waterline.
The estimate of $164,523 includes project management, field investigation, Geotech investigations for boring under the creek, permitting and preparing documentation, said Greaser; it does not include surveying fees.
The council granted permission for the mayor to sign the agreement.
Erickson described his intent to pursue a $25,000 Local Government Retrofit Grant with a 10% match to replace the air conditioning at city hall and update the lighting around the outdoor courts, which is inoperable at this time.
The council considered a request from Jay Pixley to waive the fee for a permit on a new building. In October, 2022, Pixley paid $835 in fees for a building that would have cost $275,000 to construct.
However, plans changed, and Pixley now intends to construct a building worth $80,000, which would carry a permit fee of $265. His request, the council heard, was that the city forego charging him the second permit fee in addition to the first.
The council approved this request and also voted to refund the difference in the two fees.
The council also agreed to donate $2000 again to this year’s e-cycling event, arranged by the Crook County Natural Resources District. The tentative date for this event is September 9, with receptacles available in Sundance in the morning from 10 a.m. to noon and in Hulett from 2 to 4 p.m.
During Fire Chief Gari Gill’s report, he mentioned that the department has assisted with several incidents that led to LifeFlight extrication recently, including an accident on the highway last week.
Gill enquired as to whether it might be possible to fix up the area near the ball field to make LifeFlight landings easier. As pointed out by Mayor Paul Brooks, the city can no longer use the rest area parking lot as a landing spot and has been using this location instead.
“When it gets muddy out there, you can’t even get in and out,” Gill said.
It doesn’t necessarily need to be paved, Gill said, telling the council that Moorcroft has installed a crushed asphalt pad. It just needs to be something that can be compacted such that the helicopter won’t kick up debris as it lands and takes off, he said.
Council Member Callie Hilty issued a friendly reminder to residents that lawns should be kept mowed at this time of year.
“I took a walk around town the other day and it is like a jungle out there,” said Hilty.
Brooks added that, while there are local businesses that offer lawn mowing, the city is not able to provide this service.
The next regular meeting of the council is scheduled for July 5 due to the Independence Day holiday.
