Potential town budget impacts discussed

TEN SLEEP – Ten Sleep Mayor Ernie Beckley discussed with the Ten Sleep Council the likely cuts coming out of the Wyoming State Senate and House of Representatives likely being between 10% and 20% from their direct distribution funding through the state.

“It is pretty substantial, it may not be $100,000 for us but we do not have that type of revenue coming in anyways,” Beckley said.

He discussed how the budget looking to be passed through the state would impact the town a two-year period. He also discussed how the funds for the direct distribution were already being distributed out of the states rainy day fund this last year and was not planned for in the general budget in the first place.

Beckley said that the Wyoming State Tourism Office discussed budgeting for adventure motorcyclists coming through Ten Sleep after Wyoming had been left off the routes for years.

Beckley said that the council will have to look hard at their budget this upcoming year if those types of cuts are actually coming from the state.

OTHER BUSINESS

The mayor discussed potentially drafting up multiple new ordinances as they are going through the town code in the coming months with Town Attorney Sandy Kitchens. The first ordinances are expected to be related to fires in town but no further information was provided by Beckley during the meeting.

The Ten Sleep Senior Center said that they are remaining closed to the public while still offering services to seniors with social distancing protocols in place. They said they will re-evaluate opening with the next set of guidelines set forth by Governor Mark Gordon as the current public health orders are set to run out on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Beckley told the council that they have almost reached the tourist numbers they had budgeted for the year after a discussion with the visitor’s council and he said that Worland is also doing better than was expected despite the pandemic.

The council discussed recent events and how they impacted the community such as Winter Fest that packed the town when they typically do not anticipate the town being that busy during the winter.

Ten Sleep Saloon, Big Horn Bar, Big Horn Mountain Stage Company and the Sleepy Coyote had liquor licenses approved.