Washakie County Commissioner Candidate Profiles: Republican – Aaron Anderson

Where do you currently live and how long have you lived in Washakie County?

I was born and raised in Ten Sleep and I have lived here my whole life, outside of the two years I went to college in Powell and three years in Spearfish, South Dakota. I graduated from high school in Ten Sleep, and all of my children have as well.

Why are you running for Washakie County Commissioner?

I have had the honor of serving as a Washakie County Commissioner for the last 16 years. I love this job, and I am committed to serving the residents of Washakie County. Commissioner is very much a boots on the ground, operational position. The decisions we make directly affect the quality of life of the residents of Washakie County. I work with different residents almost everyday to address issues that arise involving the county. The issues I deal with are almost always interesting, and often complex and difficult to resolve. I enjoy the challenge.

Serving as commissioner takes a lot of time and commitment. Do you feel you have the time to serve?

I have always made time for my commitments as a county commissioner, and if reelected, I will continue to do so. This job is much more than a meeting twice a month - I take calls and answer emails from constituents, other elected officials and staff on a daily basis. I absolutely understand the time and commitment it takes to be a county commissioner.

What do you feel is the best option for funding our emergency services - ground and air medical transport?

When I think of essential services, EMS is at the top of my list. If you have ever had to wait for an ambulance to arrive for yourself or a loved one, it is difficult to imagine anything more important. For years we were well served by a group of incredibly dedicated volunteers, and that model continues to work in Ten Sleep. However, the volume of calls in Worland lead to a failure of volunteer services in the middle of COVID, and we reached a point where calls were not being covered. The commission found this unacceptable and moved to a paid service. The cost of that service has risen significantly from $195,000/year to $420,000/year since we started. The county has covered these costs for three years. In the current fiscal year, we are using one-time federal ARPA funds to cover increased cost. As we head into the 2025-2026 budget this additional expense will start to draw on our reserves to cover the cost.

I see four options to fund the ground service going forward. 1) A 50/50 partnership with the city of Worland and Washakie County might be sustainable. However, the city has indicated this would be difficult for them to fund. 2). The commission can put an ambulance district up to 4 mills on the ballot, which would give a silo of money dedicated to EMS. 3) A 1/2 cent sales tax dedicated to Washakie County EMS, Ten Sleep EMS, and the flight program would be another way to create a silo of money adequate to fund EMS. 4). The county could begin to participate in the existing sales tax in the next election cycle (2026). This would crowd out other entities like the senior centers and the community center who would in turn look to the county for support.

I believe it is vital that we make a decision sooner than later regarding emergency services. The county has the reserves to cover the services short term, but burning reserves is a poor long-term choice. I plan to work with the rest of the commission to seek public input as soon as possible to find a long-term solution. I favor creating a silo of money dedicated to EMS services, the source and the timing of that funding needs more public input.

With rising costs and ever tightening budgets, how would you address increasing revenues or cutting costs for the county?

On the revenue side of things, we must maintain a tax environment that is business friendly, so we can take advantage of opportunities for increased revenue due to economic growth. Existing local sources of revenue have to be maintained. With increased costs we can't maintain existing services and cut revenue streams. Counties are the local arm of state government, and as such it is vitally important that I continue to be an effective lobbyist with legislators, the five statewide elected officials, and other counties to advocate for investment in Washakie County. I will continue to work to maintain and grow direct distribution from the legislature, and fight to maintain the funding Washakie County receives as a hardship county. With the large amount of federal land in Washakie County, I will work hard to advocate to maintain "multiple use sustained yield" principles in federal land management. I will also continue to advocate to maintain our Payment in Lieu of Taxes funding, which compensates for property tax losses from federal land within our county.

I believe inflation is the most insidious tax of all, and it's created by the federal government printing money. It affects us both personally and in our businesses. It also impacts local government as 60% of county costs are employee-related expenses. In an inflationary environment it is impossible to retain employees if our wage and benefit packages are not competitive. I plan to work with the funding available to maintain infrastructure and support existing services.

What is one other issue that you feel needs to be addressed by county and how would you address it?

Farm-to-market roads are the lifeblood of Washakie County, and maintaining these roads is an ongoing issue. We own and maintain several hundred miles of county roads, and county road funding is probably the worst example of where inflation has outpaced revenue. Washakie County receives a little more than $400,000 dollars a year in gas and diesel tax. This amount of money will not cover the cost to repave one mile of county road. We have used one-time federal funding to make a big investment in preserving both our paved and gravel surfaces. Going forward I will work with department heads to balance staff, part-time labor, and contract labor to make ongoing maintenance more efficient. I will continue to explore funding options from WYDOT, and federal sources. Last but not least, I will prioritize maintenance objectives to achieve the best return on investment for Washakie County residents.