Natrona County commissioners to discuss legal staffing, approve energy project moratorium

Credit: Klark Byrd /

CASPER, Wyo. — The recent resignations of Natrona County’s top legal officials will be a focus of Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, where the board is set to discuss the county’s legal department with Jill Kiester and John Harlin.

The commissioners will meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Natrona County Courthouse, 200 N. Center St. in Casper, on the second floor. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting will be broadcast on the county’s YouTube page.

County Attorney Heather Duncan-Malone and Deputy County Attorney Jared Holbrook resigned on May 2 and April 30, leaving the county needing legal representation for involuntary hospitalization cases. The commissioners’ packet includes a resolution to appoint Carina Ostberg as a special deputy county attorney for that purpose at a monthly fee of $8,500.

Later in the meeting, Deputy County Attorney Leda Poyman will provide the county’s legal update.

Citing planning and legal department staffing issues as the county tries to revise its 2022 Zoning Resolution, the commissioners are also expected to vote on a 90-day moratorium on wind and solar energy projects.

The board will hear from Justin Farley, CEO of Advance Casper, and Kermit Wille, chairman of its board, about a grant match for road improvements in Bar Nunn with an aim to support business and housing development along Salt Creek Highway for Radiant’s upcoming nuclear project.

According to Radiant Director of Operations Matt Wilson, the company identified the small Natrona County community as its ideal location for the commercial factory roughly six months ago. The clean energy startup plans on purchasing roughly 130 acres and developing a roughly 350,000-square-foot, campus-style facility. The company, which is based just outside of Los Angeles, expects the plant to have 70–80 employees immediately upon opening, eventually growing to about 250 jobs.

Commissioners are also set to approve a resolution to set vehicle and weight limits on County Road 503, also called Coates Road, as part of their consent agenda.

The consent agenda allows all items to be voted on at once. It includes a permit for the Alcova Reservoir Trailer Lot for Joshua Heston and Chris Pruitt, and a license for a driveway approach for Ryan McConnaughey on Shinn Road. Also on that agenda are plans to award a bid for a 2025 3046R tractor for $82,275 from Stotz Equipment, a request from the Casper-Natrona County Health Department for more construction material testing services and a contract with John C. Brooks to serve as hearing officer for the Natrona County Board of Equalization for 2025 assessments.

As part of the board’s meeting, commissioners will proclaim May 18 as International Museum Day and announce the 2025–2026 County Commissioners’ Scholarship recipients.

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