County Commission Candidates Discuss Growth, Civility

The onslaught of growth in Natrona County will require balancing budgets, roads and a civil way to talk about them, six candidates for the county commission said Monday.

Keith Goodenough cited an expert, his wife Deb, to best define the problem: "Government is the process by which limited resources are allocated to unlimited demands."

"That's what the county commission has to do, that's what the city council has to do, and so what I would promise is to be fair in my dealings," said Goodenough, who is running as an independent.

Goodenough joined Republicans Rob Hendry (incumbent), John Lawson and Steve Schlager; Democrat Terry Wingerter (incumbent); and Constitution Party Linda Bergeron at the forum at the public library sponsored by the library and the League of Women Voters. Democratic candidate Mike Gilmore did not attend. The general election is Nov. 4.

Counties are the subdivisions by which the state conducts business and mandates certain services such as law enforcement, and Wingerter said that often requires funding from the Legislature.

Lawson said budgeting always will require a process of give-and-take on priorities, and the optional one-cent sales tax that is up for renewal is one way to help the funding.

Schlager said if the Legislature cannot adequately fund the counties, "we'll just make do."

Hendry pointed to rising crime as a result of the current boom, which will require higher budgets for the sheriff's office, which includes the jail and juvenile detention center.

Bergeron said she would prioritize the budget and look at cutting services not mandated by the state constitution. She did not say what she would cut specifically.

All candidates recognized the demand for roads -- 800 miles are officially designated county roads -- and other infrastructure will need to keep pace with the growth.

Wingerter, Schlager and Goodenough wanted an emphasis on maintaining those roads that are most heavily trafficked. Goodenough also suggested lowering the weight limits of trucks that cause the most road wear.

Lawson said many blacktop-covered roads are wearing so much that some should be converted to less expensive hard gravel roads.

Likewise, Hendry said some gravel pits are on federal land maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which make access to that raw material difficult.

Bergeron said the commission should set a higher priority for roads in the budget, "as opposed to some of the other things like maybe the party that they throw up on the mountain at Beartrap"

All the candidates agreed that the county should not be promoting specific businesses, with most of them saying developers and the private market will handle that. However, Wingerter noted that the county-supported Casper Area Economic Development Alliance does work on larger projects.

The candidates didn't like the idea of combining Natrona County's and the City of Casper's law enforcement and code enforcement responsibilities.

However, when it comes to talking about these and other county matters, the candidates were divided over the recent "civility resolution" that limited to three minutes the amount of time people could address the commission during public comments unless the chairman decided to give a person more time.

Lawson said it was necessary for both commissioners and citizens to maintain respect for one another.

Schlager said he was sad to see something like that passed, and the three-minute rule should be used when a large number of people wanted to talk.

Goodenough said it showed a lack of respect by the commissioners toward citizens, and said that he never saw anyone making a comment get out of line during the eight years he's been on Casper City Council.

Bergeron said that people want the opportunity to speak about their property.

Wingerter, who opposed the resolution, said people should be allowed to talk longer than three minutes if they stay on the subject.

Hendry, however, favored the resolution.

"Things were getting out of hand," he said. "I think it's done its job."