Advisory board's future in flux as Natrona commissioners consider statutory parks trustees

Board members spent significant time discussing the possible transition from the current advisory-board model to a statutory parks board of trustees. Michael Brown, parks director, told the group the parks board of trustees met last week and that the advisory board's fate likely rests with the Board of County Commissioners because the advisory board was originally established by a BOCC resolution.

Brown said some trustees favor reverting to a pre-1996 model of appointed citizen trustees while others interpret the statute as requiring a statutory board with broader authority. "If the board of trustees change from just the commissioners, then it will become a full trustee board of citizens that were appointed by the commissioners to do all that work," Brown said, describing potential responsibilities that could include preparing budgets, hiring and firing the parks director and laying out capital projects.

Several board members said the county had at times relied on the advisory board and that communication with commissioners has declined in recent years. One member, Crystal Bratbold, invoked historical concerns about an earlier dissolution and summarized that with the word "Wrongdoings," a claim that was not expanded in the meeting and remained unresolved in the transcript.

Board members expressed concern that having both a board of trustees and an advisory board could confuse the public about where to bring comments and questions. The board agreed Doug Irvin would attend the BOCC work session next Tuesday and distribute the agenda so other members could attend if desired.

Why it matters: A change from an advisory model to a statutory trusteeship would shift decision-making authority for parks budgets, capital projects and personnel matters from the advisory board to a body with different statutory powers. The BOCC work session next week is the immediate procedural milestone identified by the board.