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Commission approves $5,000 payment to resolve Cooke City Water District invoice after staff debate over resort tax funding
Summary
After testimony from the Cooke City Water District clerk and lengthy questions about historical invoices and which resort‑tax pot could pay it, commissioners voted to pay $5,000 of a revised invoice using Cooke City resort tax funds and requested supporting invoices from the engineering firm.
Marilyn Hartley, clerk for the Cooke City Water District, told Park County commissioners that the district revised an earlier invoice after identifying a grant shortfall and disputed engineering charges dating to 2018–19.
"Because of all the confusion and the lack of being able to prove anything on their side or our side, the waterboard decided to drop the $8,000 of engineering amount, just to be done with this, basically," Hartley said, and noted the district still sought about $5,000 related to a DNRC grant discrepancy; with finance charges the revised amount in the board packet was $7,005.50.
Commission discussion focused on whether the county has authority to draw from the Cooke City 1% resort tax pot (earmarked for certain water/sewer projects) or whether the commission should use the 3% resort tax general fund. Mary Anne (speaker 17) said the sewer board requested more detailed invoices and proof of payment before agreeing to any payment; Hartley said engineers relocated offices and said more detailed records had been purged but that the water district had provided the information in the county packet and an email from the engineering firm confirming the DNRC grant was expected to be $20,000.
Commissioner Vermillion said she was "inclined to have this come out of the resort tax funds because it dates back prior to the adoption of the 1%" and later moved that the county pay a revised Cooke City Water District invoice from Cooke City resort tax funds in the amount of $5,000. The motion passed on voice vote.
What the record shows: Hartley presented the water district's accounting history and the revised invoice; other speakers asked for original invoices and signed engineering contracts from 2018–19; commissioners decided to resolve the county's portion at $5,000 and to draw the amount from the Cooke City resort tax allocation. The sewer board and water district exchange of records and the engineering firm's detailed invoices remain points of follow‑up in the county record.
Action item recorded: The commission approved a $5,000 payment to the Cooke City Water District from resort tax funds. The meeting record shows commissioners debated funding source and requested supporting invoices before or after the payment but did not record a retraction of the payment decision during the meeting.
