JULY 11, 2025 |
Photo – SLIB logo – Courtesy SLIB website
Municipalities around Carbon County are being asked to decide if Saratoga and Encampment can reallocate unspent state funding.
During the July 1st Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Board Chairman Travis Moore requested a motion to approve two joint resolutions regarding the distribution of the 2015 through 2016 county-wide consensus block grant funding. Board Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett explained the resolutions will permit the towns of Encampment and Saratoga to redirect unspent funds from the State Loan and Investment Board, or SLIB, toward other projects.
Audio PlayerThe Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board administers county-wide consensus block grants, where municipalities collaborate on a shared grant application, typically for infrastructure or community development projects. The “consensus” part of the grant means towns and the county must agree on how to allocate the funds.
If approved, the resolutions will allow the Town of Encampment to reallocate $31,424.77 in unused consensus funding toward its Sixth Street Emergency Sewer Main Replacement Project. Saratoga will be permitted to apply $11,077.76 in remaining state funds to its West Bench Sewer Improvement Project.
At the July 1st Rawlins City Council meeting, City Manager Tom Sarvey said the State Loan and Investment Board requires every municipality in Carbon County to approve the changes before the money can be spent.
Audio PlayerCity Manager Sarvey explained that, as part of the 2015–2016 County-Wide Consensus Block Grant, the City of Rawlins requested $500,000 from the State Loan and Investment Board to purchase a new bulldozer for its landfill. The funds were awarded and used as intended. Sarvey added that Encampment and Saratoga are the only municipalities in Carbon County with unspent block grant funding.
The matter was also discussed at the July 8th Hanna Town Council meeting, where Councilwoman Ellen Freeman asked what would happen if, hypothetically, a town denied the resolutions. Hanna Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales said the vote would upset the municipalities in question. However, as long as the majority of towns in Carbon County approve the resolutions, SLIB will still authorize the changes.
Audio PlayerIn the end, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, Rawlins City Council, and the Saratoga and Hanna Town Councils voted to approve the county-wide block grant resolutions. It is unclear if the remaining municipalities also endorsed the changes.