Star Valley Ranch council approves chip-seal plan, authorizes equipment purchases

The Star Valley Ranch Town Council voted to approve a chip-seal road improvement plan and the purchase of equipment to perform the work in-house.

Councilman Bitter read Resolution 25-09-09003, which notes the town previously authorized $1,000,000 in the FY2025–26 budget for paving projects including Vista Drive and chip sealing in Plat 5 and Plat 21, and authorizes an initial equipment investment of approximately $120,000 to procure a tar truck, two tailgate spreaders, a skid steer broom and a 135-gallon water-roller tank. "The town council hereby approves the town's purchase of the above identified equipment and authorizes the town administrator and public town public works director to implement the chip seal road improvement plan," the resolution states.

During public comment resident David Sidewey pressed the council for more transparency on the decision to switch from a deeper-repair project to chip seal and asked that the town publish a written comparison showing the original scope, the revised work and the savings achieved. Councilman Bitter responded that the budget authorizes funds for the project but does not prescribe specific purchases, saying the council has latitude to determine how to spend the authorized funds to complete the project.

A resident asked whether the town has a priority list for chip-sealing; the council and staff said current priorities are Plat 21, Plat 5 and Vista Drive and that they will revisit the roads master-plan priorities in the spring after assessing budget performance. The council called the vote and the mayor announced the resolution carried with no recorded opposition.