Public commenters raise lawsuit and road maintenance concerns; county testifies on solar permitting and opposing business‑license mandate

During public comment at the April 1 Park County commissioners meeting, residents and representatives addressed a range of items: a local lawsuit involving a former judicial district attorney, road maintenance complaints, and legislative activity affecting county operations.

Dave Santo of Grant asked commissioners to explain why Park County did not join a multi‑county civil suit concerning a former JD11 attorney he identified as Linda Stanley, whom he said “was disbarred last fall and then successfully sued for civil theft, fraudulently spending public funds for her own benefit.” Santo urged the board to explain their relationship with the attorney and why Park County declined to join the other three counties in the suit. The board did not offer an extended response during public comment; the chair acknowledged the remarks.

Resident Sandy Horrocks spoke at length about local road conditions in Ranch of the Rockies, naming Lower Pitchfork and Campfire and describing severe washboarding and potholes. She said the road had not been graded since last fall and that drivers risk tire damage from a narrow cattle guard at the Trout Creek Pass entrance. County Manager Lucas Myers asked Horrocks to send an email with the concerns so staff and the Road and Bridge director could inspect the sites and respond.

Greg Johnson, speaking for the Planning Commission, voiced concern about continuity of legal counsel for the commission after April 15 and urged the board to ensure coverage. Erin Smith assured the board and public that the retained firm has experience with land‑use and master plan matters and that staff would help make the transition seamless, noting that Julie Westendorp would be traveling overseas in mid‑April.

Separately, County staff provided a legislative update. The county had testified against an automated solar permitting requirement that would have compelled counties to adopt specific permitting software; the bill was amended to focus on making grant funds more usable rather than imposing the software mandate, which the staff described as a win. Staff also testified against a bill that would require jurisdictions to accept business, health and fire licenses issued by another county or municipality; county staff warned this could be an unfunded mandate for Park County, which does not currently issue business licenses for unincorporated areas. The matter had progressed to appropriations at the time of the meeting.