Commissioner's Give January Update

Bob Pancratz, Mike Goffena, and Michael Turley met with me to discuss what is currently going on in the county, and what things will be coming in the future. The commissioners provide the oversight of how the county spends tax dollars, and what new things the county will put money into. They are the protectors of the tax payer's dollars.

The county has ARPA money, and COVID money that has been issued to our county for use, and that has provided money matches for many grants so that the county has not had to raise tax to meet these matches. This has been a big benefit for the county and community.

The commissioners state that the county is in good fiscal standing, and they are very pleased with how everyone has been working within the county together for a positive outcome for the community. Our commissioners have meetings twice a week, and they also attend the meetings of the other entities within the county, for example, the hospital board, and Department of Emergency Services.

Our county is fortunate to have a coal mine contributing to our tax base. Over thirty percent of our local tax is paid by the local coal mine, Signal Peak. There is a concern in the current political climate that there could come a day when the coal would be shut down and we would have to figure out how to replace that tax base, or what services would be cut.

The "Bair Collins Park" is the future recreation area in the lower area of town that was a FEMA buyout after the flooding. The hope is to have some recreation that would draw people to enjoy the area, but they are limited to what will be put there as there can be no permanent structure put in due to it being a flood plain. The group working on the park plans are having a "community chat" about the park at the Backyard BBQ January 26th from 5-7PM where the public can come bring their ideas.

The Golden Thimble and the Food Bank need a place for expansion. They are running out of room. The commissioners are trying to come to a decision about whether to try to add on, build new, or purchase another building. The Homes on the Range apartment building is having foundation issues and it looks as though it will need to be rebuilt rather than try to remodel because of the high cost of repairing the settling foundation. There is talk of a new subdivision for prebuilt homes. The commissioners explain that Roundup needs to expand, and have housing options for teachers and new residents.

I will be meeting with the commissioners again in February, and will bring that information again to the public.