Sheridan County clerk urges board to reject state lands ‘grant,’ commissioners decline to approve agreement

Clerk Thompson, the county budget/clerk official, told the Sheridan County Board of County Commissioners the state Office of State Lands and Investments’ grant proposal would require the clerk’s office to make upfront technology changes and to perform mapping and interpretation the clerk said are outside the county clerk’s statutory duties. "I am not able to do that nor is it within my statutory duty to do that," the clerk said, asking the board "to vote no."

The clerk described the program as effectively requiring the county to pay costs up front and later seek reimbursement and noted that the state’s system currently cannot accept images the way the county’s does. The clerk said the grant funds — roughly $10,869.56 in an equal split among counties — would not fix the root problem: the state needs to upgrade its system to accept county images. Several commissioners and members of the public pressed for cost details and who would ultimately pay for needed changes. One commissioner said the county has "no decision making" authority over the state road program and urged citizens to send individual letters to the state if they objected.

A motion to approve the grant agreement between the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments and Sheridan County was moved and seconded; after discussion the motion failed on a voice vote. The board took no further action, and the clerk’s recommendation to decline the agreement stands for now. The board did not specify a follow-up schedule for revisiting the state program.