FEBRUARY 14, 2025|
♥Photo♥ – Hanna’s Library – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
Facing reduced property tax income, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners are asking towns to contribute more money toward public services.
During Tuesday’s Hanna town council meeting, Carbon County Library System representative Leigh Nation presented a letter from the county commissioners saying that the board is reevaluating how it funds outside agencies, such as the Library System and Senior Centers.
Nation said the commissioners have proposed reducing the amount of property tax money the agencies will receive over the next few years.
Nation also presented a letter from Carbon County Library System Executive Director Maria Wenzel suggesting ways the town of Hanna can help keep the library open. The list includes allocating more money toward the Library System, transferring ownership of the library building from the county to the town, and taking over payments for electricity, phone, and internet services.
Nation asked the town council to consider the Library System’s request for assistance.
The Hanna Library is only open two days a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. Nation said the Library System does not want to reduce hours any further.
Hanna Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales explained that the town already pays for water, sewer, and gas at the library.
Clerk Gonzales said the town could take over the library’s phone and internet bill, priced at a little over $100 per month.
The governing body said they do not want the Hanna Library to close but admitted the town may not have additional money in the budget to contribute. The council voted to postpone a decision until the March 11th meeting.
Meanwhile, at Monday’s Medicine Bow town council meeting, Mayor Justin George said he received a similar letter from the Board of County Commissioners asking for financial assistance.
Medicine Bow Clerk and Treasurer Karen Heath said the town already pays for the library’s water, sewer, mosquito abatement, and landfill fees. Additionally, the town plows the library parking lot for free.
Councilwoman Kristi Wickizer confirmed that the town is already donating a majority of the utilities to the library. The only additional service the town could provide would be lawn care. However, Councilwoman Wickizer noted that the library’s lawn is quite small.
Mayor George said the only way the town could provide more financial assistance to the county’s outside agencies would be to donate the same utilities to the senior center. Councilwoman Wickizer pointed out that the town’s budget is already stretched thin. The mayor agreed, saying that the town lacks the finances to further support county organizations.
Last August, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners sold an unused building in Medicine Bow to the Albany County School District. The structure was moved to the small ranching community of Garrett, Wyoming and converted into the Antelope Creek School House.
At Monday’s Medicine Bow town council meeting, Councilwoman Wickizer said the county should have used the money from the sale of the building to support the town’s library. Alternatively, the county could have kept the building in Medicine Bow and used it as a library.
Mayor George said the letter mentions how the county is set to lose tax revenue in the upcoming fiscal year. The mayor said towns will also see decreased revenue.
Mayor George said the county appears to have failed to take into account taxes expected to be generated by proposed uranium mining projects north of Medicine Bow.
The Medicine Bow town council voted to postpone a decision on increasing the town’s financial support to the county until after Mayor George speaks to a representative from the Board of County Commissioners.
