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Commission approves bills and payroll; UW Extension reports programs coming in 2026
Summary
Big Horn County approved accounts payable and payroll, granted free use of fairgrounds for a sponsor-backed KidFest and declined a requested salary adjustment; Melissa Cook of UW Extension outlined 2026 outreach including a March program on loneliness and expansion of Art for Better Living.
Deputy county clerks Marquerite VanDyke and Carol Willard presented accounts payable and payroll for review and approval on Jan. 20. Bruce Jolley moved to approve the bills and payroll as presented; the motion was seconded and carried. The minutes list a long set of vendors and amounts approved for payment.
Clerk Lori Smallwood presented a request from the Children’s Resource Center to use the fairgrounds and hall at no charge for a KidFest; the commission approved the use at no charge because of sponsor and community support. Smallwood also presented a revised memo requesting salary adjustments; the commission declined to approve adjustments due to existing hiring and salary freezes.
Melissa Cook, UW Extension Community Vitality and Health Educator, updated the commission on 2025 and planned 2026 programming. She said 91 people attended a recent Wyoming Walks event, winter walks for seniors take place at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and that an upcoming March 2026 program, "Connections on purpose to overcome loneliness," is planned. Cook said the Art for Better Living program will expand to Lovell and Hot Springs County and noted continued food preservation classes focused on safety.
Why it matters: Approval of bills and payroll is a routine but essential county function. Granting fairgrounds use at no charge signals local support for community programming; the declined salary adjustments reflect county budget constraints. Extension programs expand health and well-being resources for local residents.
