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Weston County approves prepaid unemployment claim; discusses airport power contract and records vendor payments
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Summary
Commissioners approved a prepaid unemployment claim tied to a Wyoming Department of Workforce Services notice and discussed an airport electric-service contract with Powder River Energy (engineer said grant should cover it) and a past Vault payment; the board voted to approve the unemployment voucher and agreed to forward documents for follow-up.
Weston County commissioners approved payment of a prepaid unemployment claim presented at the meeting and discussed several related county finance and contract items, including a commercial electric-service agreement for new hangars at the county airport and recent activity on a county records vendor account.
The board considered a prepaid claim from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services related to an unemployment filing. County staff described the payment as a prepaid amount that must be submitted before the end of the month to preserve the county’s appeal rights; staff said an administrative hearing is scheduled next week and the county may contest the claim. The voucher amount was discussed in the meeting and recorded in meeting dialogue as “$3.31 18.” Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the payment; a voice vote was taken and the chair called the motion approved.
Why it matters: County officials said the claim falls into a quarter when the employee was reported under the county’s account, creating potential liability to the county if the appeals panel rules against the county. Staff warned that governmental entities report employee counts rather than paying a monthly premium like private employers, which can leave the county liable for unemployment costs tied to past employees for up to two years.
Airport power contract: Commissioners also reviewed a Powder River Energy commercial application and electric-service agreement for power to new hangars at Mondell Airport. The contract, described in the meeting as about $18,747, had been sent directly to the county. County staff called the county engineer (Tim) during the meeting; the engineer told commissioners that the hangar power costs should be covered under the airport grant and that the county should not need to pay the full invoice directly. Staff said they would forward the contract to the engineer and coordinating grant contacts for confirmation.
Records vendor and other payments: The meeting also included updates on a prior payment from Vault (the county’s records vendor). Staff said Vault had made a payment (discussed in the meeting as “$20,000, 20 thousand 4 hundred something”); staff reported that the county’s new agreement with the vendor goes into effect in April 2025 and that work continues to resolve legacy scanning and billing questions.
Vote and next steps: Commissioners approved the prepaid unemployment voucher by voice vote; the transcript records: “All those in favor, please say aye” and multiple “Aye” responses. Individual roll-call votes were not read aloud. Commissioners directed staff to forward the Powder River Energy contract and related documents to the county engineer and to confirm whether the airport grant will pay the amount. Staff also said they would bring the Vault/billing matters back as needed.
Ending: The board approved the immediate unemployment payment to meet the processing deadline and set follow-up steps to verify grant coverage for the airport contract and to finalize the records-vendor reconciliation. The items will return to a future agenda as staff gathers confirmations from the engineer and the auditor.
