WRTA, air service, new fire engine among proposed uses for Lander’s remaining half-percent sales tax funds

(Lander, WY) – The Lander City Council heard funding requests from the Wind River Transportation Authority and Fremont Air Service Team this week as part of the process the council established last month for determining how to spend remaining revenues from the half percent sales tax for economic development that was in place in Fremont County through 2024. 

The process also included a call for community input on the decision – which was offered during the public comment portion of this week’s council meeting. 

Zoom outages made it difficult to review much of that public testimony, but the comments that were audible featured several suggested uses of the half percent money, including to further support the Bruce Gresly Aquatic Center or the Lander Free Medical Clinic, or to purchase a new fire truck for the Lander Volunteer Fire Department.

Specifically, LVFD Chief Eric Siwik said he would like to replace Engine 6, which was built in 1989 and is “the oldest apparatus in our fleet at 37 years old.”

Given its age, Siwik said Engine 6 “has its share of problems, including rotting tires, a tank-to-pump valve not operating making it difficult at best to float water, a valve that is not operational so we can’t flow water out of one of the discharges, and many other small issues.”

“While the shop has attempted to fix these (problems), the fact remains that finding parts for an engine of this age is difficult at best,” Siwik said, calling Engine 6 replacement “my No. 1 priority” and asking the council to “consider using the half cent money to go towards the purchase of a new engine.”

The purchase would help increase Lander’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating – a ranking that is based, in part, on compliance with National Fire Protection Agency standards, which recommend moving frontline fire engines to reserve status after 15 years and retiring them completely after 25 years, Siwik said.

According to those standards, LVFD Engine 7, which Siwik said is 30 years old, should already be retired, and Engine 8, at 22 years old, should be on reserve status.

The LVFD fleet also includes Rescue 1 (27 years old), Engine 9 (14 years old), and Truck 1 (13 years old), Siwik said.

Councilmember Julia Stuble asked city staff to bring more information about the city’s ISO rating to the council for discussion Sept. 22.

WRTA

Additional information was also requested from WRTA Executive Director Tim Nichols, who asked the council for “bridge” funding this week to help his agency continue operating until revenues from the recently approved three-quarter percent sales tax come in next spring.

After hearing Nichols’ presentation, Councilmember Josh Hahn asked for more data about the number of WRTA users who live in Lander, which Nichols said he would provide. 

“Lander money should stay in Lander for Lander residents – (and) WRTA serves Lander,” Nichols said. “I will be more than happy (to report) ridership statistics that will show you that not a small percentage of our total ridership originate and terminate in the Lander city limits.”

Nichols did note that WRTA’s overall ridership numbers have “returned to pre-pandemic levels,” which he says places the agency “amongst the top 5 percent of all transportation agencies in the United States.”

“We are currently sitting at 106 percent of our pre-pandemic ridership (and) scheduled to crest over 50,000 in total annual ridership this year,” Nichols said. 

Another question for WRTA came from Councilmember John Larsen, who asked Nichols whether the city council could loan the agency the “bridge” funding instead, at no interest.

“I think the majority of the City of Lander is not in favor of just forking out $138,000 to WRTA or to any other organization,” Larsen explained. “But if there’s $138,000 that could be loaned to WRTA … I don’t think that anybody in the City of Lander would balk at that, (because) it’s paid back.”

Nichols said he would look into that idea, which he hadn’t previously considered.

“I will model that, and I will send you a more definitive response,” he said. “I had not actually thought about that conceptually.”

FAST

As with WRTA, Hahn asked the FAST representatives about Lander-based ridership out of Central Wyoming Regional Airport this week, guessing that half of the community doesn’t utilize the service.

FAST Member Mick Pryor said he would send Hahn the data, which reflects that “more than 50 percent of the flyers originating out of Fremont County come (from) Lander.”

Regardless, Hahn said he finds it “hard to justify” spending $275,000 – the amount FAST requested – to support “an airport that benefits a certain amount of people in town, not all.”

“We could put that money where it would generate revenue for Lander and benefit everybody … not just 50 percent or whoever ride your jets over there,” he said. “(Let’s) sink money into something that generates revenue for our town.”

In response, FAST Member Kevin Kershisnik pointed to studies showing that the airport has a positive economic impact on the entire county.

“It is worthwhile for you to not only think about the benefit of your own town, but the benefit of your broader community,” Pryor said. “I would challenge you with thinking about it from a ‘greater good’ standpoint, as opposed to the myopic portion of it that will benefit the people who live inside of city limits and only the people inside of city limits.”

Ambulance, pool

The council did not hear a request for ambulance funding this week, with Mayor Missy White explaining that the Fremont County Commission is “still figuring out” what the contract for ambulance service “might look like.”

The county’s current ambulance contract has been extended through the end of September, she noted.

White also gave an update on local attempts to fund the Bruce Gresly Aquatic Center this week, including “the possibility of creating a foundation” to support the pool.

Another idea is to ask the Wyoming Legislature to modify state statute in order to let local recreation districts levy two mills instead of one, she said. 

Revenues from the additional mill “would not cover the entirety of what (the pool) needs to function,” White noted, but the money could still help offset operational costs.

There is also “hope” that the legislature will address some of the impacts this year’s school finance recalibration bill had on activities funding, White added. 

No matter what the “path forward” is, however, she predicted that the process is “going to be rough.”

“That is an incredibly expensive facility to continue operating in a town of (our size),” she said. “(But) we have a broad group of stakeholders passionately involved in it with all of their groups behind them. So it makes me hopeful that we will be able to find some way forward in the future for that.”

The council plans to hold a work session Sept. 22 to continue discussing potential uses of the city’s remaining half percent sales tax funding.

For more information, call the City of Lander at (307) 332-2870.