Town Council finalizes public-hearing plan for Mountain Estates annexation

The Star Valley Ranch Town Council laid out how it will handle the Mountain Estates annexation at a special public hearing required by Wyoming Statute 15‑1‑405, saying the hearing’s purpose is to gather public comment and to review planning and water‑board conditions before negotiating an annexation agreement with the developer.

Town Administrator Trevor Aiken told the council the packet—containing planning commission recommendations and the water board’s conditions—has been posted and that the council will first ‘accept’ those recommendations for consideration and then negotiate the annexation agreement with the developer and special counsel. “We’re going to review the statute…and the town administrator is going to review the annexation report,” Aiken said, explaining that the agreement is usually negotiated before ordinance readings and that the three ordinance readings provide “three off‑ramps” if an agreement cannot be reached.

Council members asked how and when a final decision is reached. Aiken said the council would likely hold an executive session with special counsel to draft the town’s red lines, then deliver a draft to the developer for negotiation; if no agreement is reached before the first annexation ordinance reading, the ordinance process can stop there. Council members pressed for clarity about when a formal vote on annexation would occur and whether the draft agreement will be public; Aiken said he will ask special counsel about sequencing and noted the developer may sign before the town does. The council was also advised to expect a large public turnout at the hearing and to set ground rules for decorum.