Wednesday, March 25, 2026 |
Photo – Saratoga Town Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo
Saratoga officials voted to retain the town’s prosecuting attorney following the establishment of his own law firm.
In January, the Saratoga Town Council selected a new Municipal Attorney. Unlike district attorneys, who prosecute serious state felonies at the county level, municipal prosecutors handle local ordinance violations and lower‑level community offenses.
Speaking at the January 21st Saratoga Town Council meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis said Town Attorney Kylie Waldrip recommended an attorney, but that person did not respond to his requests. Instead, the mayor said he selected Robert Piper, a former Saratoga police officer and Carbon County Sheriff’s deputy.
As of this report, Robert Piper still practices with Coal Creek Law out of Laramie. He also served as Medicine Bow’s town attorney in 2023, when a hasty motion led the Town Council to temporarily vote themselves out of power. Piper was replaced that November by Cameron Smith of SAS Legal Group in Cheyenne.
At the January 21st Saratoga Town Council meeting, Mayor Davis said Piper comes highly recommended and asked the governing body to appoint him as the town’s prosecuting attorney.
The governing body appointed Robert Piper to prosecute local ordinance violations.
On Monday afternoon, when the Saratoga Town Council held a brief special meeting to discuss the prosecuting attorney. Mayor Davis announced that Piper was leaving Coal Creek Law and forming his own practice.
Mayor Davis asked the governing body if they were in favor of keeping Piper as the town’s prosecuting attorney. Police Chief John Moore said Piper is already integrated into the department’s internal systems. Responding to a question from Councilman Bub Barkhurst, Chief Moore said he is well acquainted with the man.
Mayor Davis said he was waiting to receive an engagement letter from Piper outlining his rates. The mayor asked for authority to sign the letter if the attorney maintains his current price of $185 an hour. If Piper seeks a higher rate, Mayor Davis said he won’t sign the agreement, and the Council will take up the matter at their next regularly scheduled meeting on April 1st.
The governing body unanimously voted to retain Robert Piper as the town’s prosecuting attorney after he forms Piper Law Group LLC, provided he does not increase his rates.
