Tuesday, February 24, 2026 |
Photo – Carbon County Museum in Rawlins – Bigfoot99 file photo
Carbon County Commissioners thanked representatives from the county museum for continuing to improve the cultural institution despite reduced financial support from local government.
Statewide property tax cuts left Carbon County with approximately $343,000 less to contribute to outside services, including senior centers, libraries, and the Rawlins museum. All agencies saw a reduction in county funding, with the Carbon County Library System receiving 53 percent less than in the previous fiscal year. The Carbon County Museum Board saw an even greater reduction, losing more than 56 percent of its budget.
During Tuesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Museum Director Tom Mensik and Museum Board President Ken Klouda provided an update on current museum operations. Klouda said the museum board voted to charge non-Carbon County residents an admission fee to help offset the loss of county revenue.
This year, Museum Director Mensik also began offering paid memberships to allow patrons to financially support the institution. As well as free access to museum events, the highest‑tier membership provides discounts to museums and art galleries across the country, through the North American Reciprocal Museum Association.
In addition to those efforts, Klouda said the museum board has applied for several grants, including a $50,000 grant to offset Curator Andrew Webster’s salary and another for upgrades to the museum’s website from the Carbon County School District One Recreation Board. Also, the institution received a grant from the Carbon County 250 Committee to create a new exhibition about Dr. Lillian Heath, Wyoming’s first female physician.
Amid the funding cuts, Klouda said the museum had planned to eliminate Curator Webster’s position. The museum board president said he and his wife donated $50,000 to keep Webster in Rawlins.
Klouda said the Carbon County Museum is working to boost attendance. The museum board president said Director Mensik’s recent acquisition of a replica Columbian mammoth skull has been a strong draw.
Klouda also attributed the museum’s success on Education and Outreach Manager Kelia McCuddy, who organized last year’s haunted history and cemetery tours.
When he joined the museum board, Klouda said he hoped to see the Carbon County Museum place greater emphasis on the contributions of the Union Pacific Railroad, a goal he said has been met. Klouda also said he would like to highlight the role people of Hispanic descent have played in the county. The museum board president noted that two workers from a Hispanic‑owned sand and gravel company were responsible for finding the remains of infamous outlaw Big Nose George.
In an effort, last May, to reduce the inventory of county‑owned properties, the Board of Commissioners asked Mensik to examine if the Carbon County Museum could move onto the grounds of the Wyoming Frontier Prison. As two similar cultural institutions, the Board said it would make sense for them to be housed in the same place.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Klouda said that in September the museum board sent a proposal to the Old Pen Joint Powers Board and Historic Site Director Tina Hill outlining ways the two organizations could work together. He said the Old Pen Joint Powers Board rejected the offer.
Klouda said the Old Pen Joint Powers Board offered to collaborate on a few events, such as a scavenger hunt and a painted crosswalk between the two sites but did not explain why the museum board’s proposal was denied. Despite the setback, Klouda said the Carbon County Museum is doing everything it can to stay relevant while operating under a reduced budget.
Commissioner Sue Jones thanked the museum representatives for finding novel ways to increase revenue while reducing costs in the midst of property tax cuts. As the former mayor of Rawlins, Klouda said he understands how budgets work. Instead of complaining about the situation, the museum board president said he chose to adapt.
Commissioner John Johnson said the museum wasn’t the only entity to see a significant budget cut. Commissioner Johnson expressed his gratitude to the Carbon County Museum Board for choosing to address the reduction rather than publicly criticizing county officials for making a difficult decision.
Commissioner Sue Jones offered to contact state officials to determine if they would be willing to donate a state-owned portion of the Old Pen property to the county for the museum, adding that fundraising would be easier if the two organizations were in the same location.
