Ashley Chancellor: East Boulder mine job losses shrink Park County's tax allocation, permits await bond approval

Ashley Chancellor, an environmental compliance specialist, told the Clark County Commission on May 7 that the East Boulder mine reported 393 total employees across its sites this year, down from 574 last year, and that 94 employees live in Park County, down from 128.

That drop trimmed Park County’s share of the 2026 annual allocation for the metal-mines license tax from 21.33% to 20.71, Chancellor said. "We're reporting 393 total employees at our mine sites," she said, adding that "about 94 of those employees live and reside in within Park County." The figures were presented in Appendix A of the county's mine-impact materials.

Why it matters: allocations of metal-mines license tax revenue are computed in part on where mine employees reside; a smaller resident count slightly reduces the county's automatic share of that revenue, which supports local services. Commissioners asked whether the employment decline reflected corporate restructuring; Chancellor said a restructuring announced in November 2024 did not fully take effect until January–February 2025, explaining why the reduction appears in this year’s report rather than last year’s.

Chancellor also described Major Amendment 4, a tailings-pond and waste-facility expansion. "The permits have gone through; however, we don't have them in hand yet. We're still waiting on bond approval," she said, adding that construction would likely begin next year if the bond is approved in time and that limited clearing and road work might proceed this year.

Commissioners pressed on business conditions that could affect hiring. Chancellor said palladium and platinum prices have been volatile and that the operation is near a break-even point; she cautioned the figure was approximate, saying "please don't quote me on this, but it's around... $200 at the moment." She said the company has undertaken a cost-restructure and would not expect significant growth this year or next unless metal prices improve.

Separately, Chancellor said the company recently had a hearing at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., about possible duties on Russian-sourced material; the ITC was due to rule later in the month. A commissioner had asked whether federal duties had taken effect; Chancellor said a ruling was pending.

Chancellor told the commission she would forward finalized school-assessment numbers and noted Livingston's student count rose to four this year, with the increase at the elementary level; high-school numbers were largely unchanged. Commissioners also discussed residency distribution among the three impacted counties and confirmed Park County remains the county with the largest share of eligible employees.

Administrative follow-up: Chancellor said she would send a signature page on Tuesday. There was no public comment on the item. The chair moved to adjourn and a commissioner seconded; the meeting ended with no roll-call vote recorded in the transcript.

What’s next: bond approval is the immediate milestone to advance the tailings-pond project; the ITC ruling may affect the company’s market outlook. Commissioners did not take additional formal action on the report during this meeting.