November 19, 2025 |
Photo – Great Seal of Carbon County – Courtesy Carbon County Commissioners
Confusion over appointments to the Rawlins–Carbon County Airport Board prompted action by both city and county officials.
The Rawlins-Carbon County Airport Board is a joint powers board made up of representatives from both the City of Rawlins and Carbon County. The Board is responsible for overseeing Harvey Field, also known as the Rawlins Municipal Airport.
According to the Board’s 1977 bylaws, member appointments alternate between the Rawlins City Council and the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. The county selected the first full‑term member during the January 1977 meeting, and the city appointed a member the following year, establishing an arrangement that continues to this day. The bylaws state that vacancies in unexpired terms shall be filled jointly by appointment of the governing bodies of the city and the county.
The alternating appointments apparently have led to confusion over whose seat an appointee is filling.
At the November 4th Commissioners meeting, County Attorney Ashley Davis announced that the Rawlins–Carbon County Airport Board was requesting a resolution to correct the expiration date for the service period of Zachary Hartshorn. Attorney Davis said the Board incorrectly appointed Hartshorn to the wrong term.
Commissioner Sue Jones said the Rawlins–Carbon County Airport Board bylaws have caused confusion since their adoption in March of 1977. Commissioner Jones asked Attorney Davis if the bylaws could be amended to eliminate the alternating appointments and instead provide for a set number of members from Rawlins and from Carbon County.
Commissioner Jones continued, saying the alternating appointments have left both the Board of Commissioners and the Rawlins City Council uncertain whether an appointee is serving a municipal or county term.
Commissioner Jones acknowledged that altering the process for board appointments would require amending the bylaws. However, because the Airport Board is a joint powers board, all changes must be approved not only by the board itself, but also by the Rawlins City Council and the Board of County Commissioners.
Alternatively, Commissioner Jones and Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett suggested having two members each from Rawlins and Carbon County, along with one joint member appointed by both entities, similar to how the Platte Valley Community Center Joint Powers Board operates. In the meantime, both county officials agreed they must first correct the term for Hartshorn.
In response to Commissioner Jones’s question, County Attorney Ashley Davis said the Airport Board’s bylaws can be changed, adding that if the document specifies how board members must be appointed, the process could be quite involved.
Attorney Davis offered to investigate the possibility of amending the Airport Board’s bylaws. Following the discussion, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners voted to sign the resolution correcting the term of Hartshorn.
The Rawlins City Council addressed a similar issue during its November 4th meeting. The governing body considered a resolution to ratify the appointment of Megan McComas to the Rawlins–Carbon County Airport Board. City Attorney Pinita Maberry‑Nave explained that McComas had originally been appointed to fill a county vacancy, but the seat was in fact the city’s to fill.
The Rawlins City Council voted to ratify the appointment of Megan McComas to a full five‑year term on the Rawlins–Carbon County Airport Board, beginning February 1st, 2024, and expiring January 31st, 2029.
