Commissioners Hear Valuation Protests

SIDNEY--On Monday, July 15, the Cheyenne County Commissioners met for their regular meeting, and Valuation Protests were a big part of the agenda.

After approving the minutes from the last meeting and approving the current agenda, County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh read correspondence from Plains West CASA, thanking the commissioners for their generosity and support of the program. The letter went on to detail the critically important work the group performs for at-risk youths, and how much the support of the commissioners has helped Plains West CASA continue their important work.

Cheyenne County Treasurer Shelley Bowlin discussed the semi-annual Treasurers report. She noted the percentage of tax revenues collected has increased again, which has been the trend since 2020. In 2020, the percentage of collected tax revenues was 61.14% while in 2023 it had risen to 63.20. Commissioner Randy Miller asked County Attorney Paul Schaub if the fees charged for Sheriff's Department personnel were established by the county or mandated by the state. Schaub said that the fees were determined by the state. Miller also noted that fees for Keno were up significantly so far in 2024, and asked if that was because Winners had been granted a permit to operate Keno. Bowlin said it was unlikely the rise in Keno revenues was from Winners, as they had only been operating the Keno games for a short while. The commissioners approved the report.

County Attorney Paul Schaub then said that Cheyenne County would contract with Weld & Larimer County's coroner services for forensic and autopsy work. He said that with the discontinuation of the service in Sidney, they had to look elsewhere for these services. Omaha was too far away, and Schaub said that Weld & Larimer's service in Colorado is closer and would contract on a case-by-case basis. Schaub is also planning on discussions with a funeral director in North Platte for transportation services, as this individual currently contracts with Scottsbluff for these services, and the arrangement has been working out well.

Next, Cheyenne County Tourism Director Kendra Mitchell presented a grant request for the Dalton Fall Festival. The festival was requesting a similar amount as they did last year, $3,050. The money will be used for marketing purposes, such as flyers and radio and newspaper advertisements. The festival is expanding its marketing into the Bridgeport area and points north to try to attract more festival-goers. The commissioners approved the grant request unanimously.

Cheyenne County Highway Superintendent Skyler Saucedo spoke with the commissioners. He said that road crews were working on a few spots damaged from recent storms and harvest traffic. It was also noted there was an area on Road 77 north of Potter that was having oil seep up to the road surface. Commissioner Phil Sanders said the same problem happened last year, and it was caused by gravel being removed too soon, and sanding down the areas worked in keeping the oil from rising to the surface. Saucedo said he already had the sand ready to go for the repair. Commissioner Miller said that he had received some complaints that graders were going too far off of the roadway and wiping out their landfills. He asked Saucedo to tell his crew to be mindful of the landfills near the sides of the roads. He also said that north of the Village of Lodgepole, they had some road issues, but the budget has been tapped out at the county level. Miller asked Saucedo to call the state Department of Transportation to see if they could help out in any way with a grant or send some workers to help repair the roadway.

The meeting continued as the Board of Equalization. County Assessor Jordan Hajek went over the Valuation Protests with the commissioners, and in the first few cases, the valuation of the assessment was brought down after a review of the details of each case. The largest group of protests came later, all affiliated with Cabela's. The commissioners and Hajek refused to adjust the valuations in every case. The commissioners noted they expected to have to defend their decisions to the state, and they were prepared to do so. For a full listing of Valuation Protests, contact the Cheyenne County Assessor's office.