Park County holds interviews for state shooting-complex joint powers board; appointments delayed pending legislature

Park County commissioners on Wednesday interviewed a series of applicants for six county seats on the proposed Wyoming State Shooting Complex joint powers board but declined to make appointments, saying they will wait for the legislature’s final action and for applicants to meet residency or other qualifications.

Commissioners described the group as preparatory work to create a joint powers board that would oversee design, construction and event programming for a state-supported shooting complex. The county would have six seats on the board and the City of Cody would have three under the draft bylaws the group has proposed to state officials. Draft bylaws list preferred candidate categories: a local county-government representative; a firearms-and-shooting-industry representative; an education/conservation/shooting-industry representative (Buffalo Bill Center of the West was specifically mentioned); a travel-and-tourism representative; a business/economic development representative; and an at-large member.

Applicants who appeared in person or by Zoom included Jennifer Tom, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce; James Clessens, formerly with Forward Cody; Cindy Thomas, an owner of an indoor shooting range who is moving from Maryland and owns property in Park County; Carrie Pate, owner of Cody Mercantile pawnshop; Glenn Ross, treasurer of Forward Cody; Jason Beyer, head of marketing at Gunwerks; and a Zoom participant identified as Brian, a part-time lawyer.

Applicants emphasized organizational and fundraising experience as well as shooting-sports expertise. Jennifer Tom, who said she has worked on the project’s implementation and fundraising since taking her chamber position in May, told commissioners: “My primary point of interest is just the consistency of going from the working group to actually getting it implemented.” James Clessens, who helped lead early project work with Forward Cody, said: “My objective in this project from the outset has been to see it get completed.” Cindy Thomas, who owns an indoor range and has international competitive-shooting experience, said: “If I could bring anything to the table, hey, you got me,” and noted she is attempting to establish residency here so she would qualify for the county board.

Commissioners told applicants they were not planning to appoint board members at this meeting. Chairwoman Kelly Stewart said the county is waiting for the legislature’s final decision on project funding before making appointments. Commissioners discussed an alternate option of an advisory committee for experts who are not yet qualified electors in Park County; several applicants expressed interest in advisory roles if they could not be seated immediately.

Applicants and commissioners also discussed near-term priorities if the project is approved, including finalizing bylaws with the state attorney general, completing BLM permitting for site access, securing design and construction plans, and pursuing sponsorships and private fundraising that would supplement state funding. Commissioners and applicants noted the funding scenario shared publicly requires the complex to be open and usable by the end of 2026 if full funding proceeds as proposed.

No formal votes were taken on appointments; commissioners said they would gather follow-up information, continue vetting candidates and notify applicants of next steps once the legislature and state agencies provide final guidance.