Cody Conservation District seeks county support for shared NRCS position, warns of grant uncertainty

Russ Dwire, chairman of the Cody Conservation District, told the Park County Board of Commissioners during their meeting that the district is pursuing a shared position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and is asking the county to consider annual funding of $22,000 to cost-share the position.

Dwire said the position would assist with on-the-ground projects, provide design and engineering help for conservation practices such as irrigation pivots, handle paperwork required by NRCS cost-share programs and — over time — could broaden certification and inspection capacity so local residents would not always wait for distant NRCS personnel. He said the district is proceeding with hiring even though federal grant funding is uncertain and NRCS has indicated some funding reductions.

The district also updated commissioners on a proposal for a mail-ballot mill levy for the Cody Conservation District. Dwire and other district representatives described a petition they delivered to commissioners and said they expect the county to carry election costs if the board approves sending a proposition to voters off-cycle. County staff told the board that the statute cited by the district suggests the county pays for an election called at the request of a special district; county staff estimated an off-cycle mail-ballot election in August could cost roughly $23,000, based on postage, envelopes, ballot production and poll-staffing estimates. The district said it has about 10,756 registered voters in the Cody Conservation District and that the district currently has roughly $8,000 saved toward election-related costs.

Dwire said the district would prefer a single-issue ballot to test local support but acknowledged the county could propose adding the measure to a regular election in 2026, which would spread administration costs across other ballot items and lower the district's share of the expense. Commissioners and county staff discussed timing, whether the county has to cover off-cycle costs, and the process for absentee or landowner-elector ballots; no decision was made and staff said they would follow up with legal references and refined cost estimates.

The district also asked if county government could help supply a four-wheel-drive, five-passenger vehicle for outreach and fieldwork; commissioners said they would watch for surplus vehicles but made no commitment. Other updates from the district included: pursuing funding to update the Park County Community Wildfire Protection Plan; hiring Gabrielle Fancher (starting Feb. 24) to the staff; and continuing an education and tree program that the district called "moderately successful." Dwire said the district will bring a formal mill-levy proposition and ballot language back to the county when they are ready and asked to be considered in the county budget for the $22,000 request if the board prefers to include that amount in next year's appropriations.

Commissioners and staff clarified that the district cannot use county or state government funds to advocate for or against a ballot proposition, but the district could pay for legally required advertising and for neutral informational mailings that explain the purpose of the levy.

Commissioners did not act on the funding request, vehicle request or the mill-levy petition during the meeting. Dwire said the district did not expect an answer immediately and asked only that commissioners consider the funding request during budget deliberations and follow up on legal guidance about off-cycle election costs.

Ending The conservation district's requests were left for staff follow-up and potential inclusion in the county's upcoming budget process. County staff agreed to check the specific statute cited by the district and to return with more detailed election-cost estimates and options for timing the vote.