[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6547351,"mediaKeyId","3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698","parentId",3658778,"title","Commissioner Bill Wysong: from neighborhood organizer to county commissioner, priorities shaped by wildfire experience","audioSeconds",1376,"startMs",140000,"endMs",1516000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698&start=140&end=1516","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698/thumbnail_140000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6547351/El-Paso-County/Colorado/Commissioner-Bill-Wysong-from-neighborhood-organizer-to-county-commissioner-priorities-shaped-by-wildfire-experience","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547351-efe7e475bd7dd245845a36bead8b906a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112478&Signature=Oikt6bjz8cibWmh9trN-UVZAX60Hlzsa5swuj-4DhWfuPH4QrKD1xNYBxG4d3FB9ZTX0af52lW--EiCOu6rt5NgRZEamOD6IsWZ55YZC1QitGBXlruSEVT8mxKFGk~918xne0nE~mJCzAsBK6~d~QLE2EayQtQGV1UH1JckFq3NpXT5PCDk2Py99v-V8g8mcK~Y3PVKH3hc6qnRZx1SaEYTIPksvep1ojtvSotMUzbsv7K7hbT6u2msYpA2p-LfdEpwE59JQKyURfmBjA5RAPJtZlUur6LT1sA-WNPa1LQ~0tO6NMHapuCalGJZALqf0bYPguNZmUIvah36DIO0qGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","El Paso County","date","2025-06-04T18:49:35Z","article","Bill Wysong, newly elected El Paso County commissioner for District 3, told the Beyond the Deus podcast he spent roughly six months in office learning county processes, serving on about 14 boards and prioritizing public safety, water and land-use issues.

Wysong described a varied career before office: he said he worked as a building inspector performing USDA rural-housing inspections, spent eight years as a home inspector, worked in private water companies and spent 28 years in the telecommunications industry. He said he moved to Colorado Springs in 1986.

His community activism began after surviving the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012 and opposing a proposed multifamily development at a critical evacuation junction in 2020. He said he served as president of the Mountain Shadows Community Association and co-founded a nonprofit called Westside Watch to help neighborhoods have their voices heard. After the city council rejected the proposed development in August 2021, he said the experience gave him confidence to run for county office.

Wysong said the first months in office felt like “drinking from a fire hose,” but he praised county staff for helping commissioners manage a heavy schedule. He described serving on a range of boards including the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Board, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, parks advisory roles, the Fountain Creek Watershed District, a Pikes Peak water authority and the military affairs council. He said Congressman Crank invited him to a defense advisory board subcommittee addressing base encroachment.

Wysong said staying organized is the biggest practical challenge: “I'm on 14 different boards and commissions,” he said, noting irregular meeting schedules and the need to read materials to be prepared. He described a personal work style of printing documents, annotating them and using sticky notes to track issues.

On budgeting, Wysong said the county runs a department-level process and begins seeing combined budget drafts around September. He emphasized the county’s elected department heads—sheriff, coroner, clerk and recorder, treasurer and assessor—operate independently though the board controls the budget.

Wysong also described county culture and goals: he said El Paso County is the state’s most populous county by county boundaries and that its mill levy ranks near the bottom among the top 10 most-populous counties, a factor that shapes budget decisions.

He closed with a personal anecdote about the county’s recent Veterans of the Year event and his conversation with recipient Tom Miller, a Vietnam veteran, saying those unscripted moments are the most meaningful parts of public service.

No formal votes or policy changes were recorded during the interview; Wysong described ongoing priorities and organizational challenges rather than announcing new ordinances or budget actions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","An Interview with Bill Wysong","oneSentenceSummary","Bill Wysong, El Paso County commissioner for District 3, described his varied background, how community fights after the Waldo Canyon Fire led to public service, the demands of serving on many boards and his early priorities: public safety, water, land use and veterans.","taxTitle","El Paso County, Colorado","taxId",5790,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6547356,"El Paso County commissioner flags water uncertainty, land-use and military encroachment as priorities",0,1246000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698&start=1246&end=1246","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698/thumbnail_1246000.jpg","/articles/6547356/El-Paso-County/Colorado/El-Paso-County-commissioner-flags-water-uncertainty-land-use-and-military-encroachment-as-priorities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547356-dff981b3640744ad76959588c1261cca/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112478&Signature=JmmI06R8NLmvfgYC6FvB00tYL9T5OWxJzYFfKwGgo27kjy7jSigipDd0dgQQCpHteDMVbcWLmZra7ox7S1z1STkeObBUi8VnBAPSGIBTtH5Pqhm4D2obH~8I1Y7iMm4Dwotm2GG4Pr6I0wQyQcXYG6hz988UNlESbm5BmRR2z5HUOobNghfv4xJUMemJ2SKeSf8ApFewhtHTKZstspzzQoR90ynUNE0-DR9VTnv7LHVqvrsmqn0V9rWju2nCfaippZrOoNH0njT8QFZwUqofYTlqUO0JJY0cOwcy~MOufZT3jQ0ym-gpyz6weSWovmfIC90YEQbxsKvvlgo5QKkXjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","El Paso County Commissioner Bill Wysong said water supplies, wastewater and stormwater planning are immediate priorities for county leaders, and he urged residents to pay attention as staff complete studies led by the county planning department to better understand aquifer conditions.

Wysong, in his first six months as commissioner, said much of the county’s unincorporated area relies on wells and that local officials do not yet know how much water is available. “When you have multiple aquifers that go over a very large wide area... we have no idea what it truly looks like and how much water is there,” Wysong said.

Wysong described ongoing county studies to inventory supply and to examine reuse and conservation options. He said the planning department is heading studies intended to inform future land-use and infrastructure decisions, but he gave no timetable or budget figures for completion.

Land use tied to the county’s military installations was another priority Wysong raised. He described serving on a defense advisory board subcommittee on base encroachment after a congressman invited him, and said protecting military missions from incompatible development is a local land-use concern. “If we have too much encroachment around our military bases, their missions are compromised,” he said.

Wysong listed several regional bodies he participates in that relate to water and land use: the Fountain Creek Watershed District, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, and what he described as the Pikes Peak Bridal Water Authority, along with an advisory position related to parks and county drainage. He said these boards help coordinate transportation, stormwater and water issues across multiple jurisdictions.

He also discussed housing as “the big elephant in the room” and noted a separation of responsibilities between city and county government. Wysong explained counties derive many powers from state statute and that some services—jails, the coroner and elected department heads—are county responsibilities. The budget process, he said, begins at the department level with combined budget review coming later in the year.

Wysong emphasized the interdependence of water, land use and budgeting decisions: counties must balance competing demands with limited tax capacity. He noted El Paso County is the most populous county in the state by county boundaries and said its mill levy ranks near the bottom among the top 10 most-populous counties, which constrains how much revenue the county can raise for services.

Wysong did not provide specific figures for county water reserves, exact study timelines or dollar amounts for potential projects; he said those details are being developed by staff.","Commissioner Bill Wysong told a podcast audience the county needs better data on aquifers, more coordinated water, wastewater and stormwater planning, and attention to land-use near military bases to protect missions and manage growth.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6547361,"El Paso County adopts evacuation-modeling tool as wildfire threat grows",365,1689000,2054000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698&start=1689&end=2054","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3658778-a409a49050bff418feed987f67362698/thumbnail_1689000.jpg","/articles/6547361/El-Paso-County/Colorado/El-Paso-County-adopts-evacuation-modeling-tool-as-wildfire-threat-grows","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547361-a4270672e43790cdd4a9fe6796ccfb2c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112478&Signature=LXqTwCOTKz~fC-8N0qtK57S8OOO47W0GaeEhtgLZwkL1YW4H9rI-Zn2AJDjl8i0HayvhCZckL4-wokE6b8CHdH-Wgxb1Mv8NIq7rPvutSwNbpyYDqwtbV6QlKySH3Mjh2g~HYTpQBAivuy26-eaCKsI0YOv5NVy2fNZdhmASgoDd-E3IagOYNvEcqMOHuCuqE74jzp8qWFnv8gYaKvi8vjKwWVB7mSjM97LLFwWzqlBNi6mUrXW0nhN4A7MgPnetucpmjsALE3frq9ke63HBMaTm8XHJD1dKMHaHDuNMZKBtJeagODu-RHrnbz53-NKRFE0w-51-UiqrRb8xJV9-Kg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","El Paso County Commissioner Bill Wysong said the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management announced May 13 that it acquired evacuation-modeling software called Ladders to help fire districts, law enforcement and other first responders plan and run evacuation exercises.

Wysong, who represents District 3 and survived the Waldo Canyon Fire, said the tool will take months to be adopted across agencies but will give emergency managers estimates of how long large-scale evacuations would take and permit tabletop exercises to test options.

The software purchase follows high-profile wildfires in the region and beyond. Wysong cited Waldo Canyon, which destroyed hundreds of homes in 2012, and the Marshall Fire in Boulder County in 2021 as reasons evacuation planning must account for “urban” wildfire behavior. “Evacuation planning is not traffic engineering,” Wysong said. “Traffic engineering is a requirement in most cases, but evacuation planning is not.”

The county plans a phased rollout. Wysong said OEM and participating fire districts, sheriff’s and police agencies will spend roughly three to four months bringing the system online and training staff before making neighborhood-level outputs available. He described the tool as an educational and planning resource rather than a precise prediction: even under a best-case “blue sky” scenario, evacuations may take hours, not minutes.

Wysong used the Monument area as an example of local constraints: “It’s kind of on that border between unincorporated El Paso County and the town of Monument… you have only two evacuation points,” he said, noting some neighborhoods have unpaved or narrow roads and creek crossings that complicate evacuation.

Officials plan to use the model to inform exercises and “war-gaming” to identify choke points and align resources, Wysong said. He emphasized that the tool will help first responders understand realistic timelines and plan communications and routes accordingly.

The purchase and rollout aim to strengthen preparedness across the county’s western, more-forested areas, which Wysong said are at elevated risk from wildfire and other disasters such as flooding or hazardous-material incidents.

Wysong also linked the adoption of modeling to his prior community advocacy: he said years of neighborhood organizing after the Waldo Canyon Fire helped shape his focus on evacuation planning when he sought office. “I’ve been fighting for it for five years,” he said, “so I’ll take the win.”

Officials have not yet released a public timetable for neighborhood-level access or the precise capabilities that will be shared with residents; Wysong said agencies will use the tool first to train responders and then make information available to communities.","Commissioner Bill Wysong said the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management announced acquisition of evacuation-modeling software called Ladders to help fire districts, law enforcement and first responders plan and run evacuation exercises after years of destructive wildfires.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioner Bill Wysong: from neighborhood organizer to county commissioner, priorities shaped by wildfire experience

El Paso County commissioner flags water uncertainty, land-use and military encroachment as priorities

El Paso County adopts evacuation-modeling tool as wildfire threat grows