JACKSON, Wyo. — Four candidates are running to fill two seats on the Teton County Board of County Commissioners: incumbent Natalia D. Macker (D), Len Carlman (D), Vicky O’Donoghue (I) and Melchor Moore (R).
Ahead of the election, Buckrail reached out to each candidate about their priorities related to water quality, density at 90 Virginian Lane, the upcoming discussion about the funding split for Town and County jointly funded departments, and the role of the county commission at the state level.
Water quality
Q1. The County is interviewing applicants for a new volunteer board to consider and evaluate water quality-related projects and policies. What are your water quality-related priorities if elected?
Candidates all support the recently adopted Water Quality Management Plan and said that water quality is a top priority.
Carlman said providing clean drinking water to Hoback is “Job 1.” His other priorities include better inspection and maintenance of septic tanks, and persistent outreach to encourage people to hook up to municipal sewer lines where appropriate. Carlman said he supports a cost-share effort for low-income property owners, and working with Protect Our Water Jackson Hole.
O’Donoghue said that water quality is essential for the county’s health and environmental well being. She said she believes that Improvement and Service Districts (ISDs) need strong oversight to ensure they are effectively managing water safety and quality standards.
“If elected, I will advocate for regular assessments and monitoring of these systems, prioritizing water safety, regulatory compliance and proactive emergency planning,” O’Donoghue said.
Moore said the commission will help implement the WQMP but the commission must ensure that there is adherence to competitive bidding for facility construction. “Projects involving federal funds shall not be subject to Wyoming’s resident labor preference, but locally, we should ensure preference to local resident labor filling positions for contractor / subcontractor labor,” Moore said.
Macker said her immediate priorities are the clean drinking water system in Hoback, establishing a septic system maintenance program and working to increase sewer hookups via infrastructure and incentives, when the location is appropriate. She said ongoing data collection and monitoring is also crucial.
Town collaboration
Q2. Joint Powers Agreements for jointly funded departments serving the Town and County will be under review by the Commission and Council in 2025. The agreed-upon split is 60/40 county/town. Recently audited numbers show the Town is at 32% and the County is at 68%. The Town also recently asked for a 65/35 split, which the County turned down. What do you think is a fair split, and how would you work with the Town to reach an agreement?
O’Donoghue said the JPA discussion should be collaborative, transparent, involve a review of both Town and County budgets, and should include and value input from the staff to assess each entity’s contributions and resource needs.
“I believe in maintaining open communication and collaboration with Town Council and County Commission members to find a balanced approach,” O’Donoghue said. “Together, we can develop a structure that ensures fair representation and an equitable split, based on actual service demands and needs.”
Moore said that a 60/40 or 65/35 split should mean that county residents get a vote in town governance.
“This is a good time to bring up the frustration County residents feel about having little to no control over Town decisions being made by the Council,” Moore said. “With special interest groups now presenting us with Town Council candidates who we know little to nothing about, and who have no connection to our local community, it is time to suggest that a 60/40 split, or a 65/35 split, should mean that County residents get a vote in Town governance.”
Macker emphasized the need for collaboration between the Town and County as the most efficient way to provide public services and noted that “there is no blanket approach to joint funding that will address the complexities with each department.” She said the relationship will need to evolve as the community also evolves, suggesting that looking at alternative models for funding the departments is needed.
“Different funding models could be utilizing the available sales and property taxes (both as currently collected or the capacity to collect), demand for services, location where services are provided, or options for new dedicated revenue,” Macker said. “Changing governance structures will also be part of changing funding models.”
Carlman took a different approach, pointing out that the shared funding formula between the Town and County is contingent on the Justice Center SPET measure passing.
“If voters approve the Justice Center item, which I sincerely hope we will, local government can continue to provide good levels of service and find a workable revenue split between the Town and County,” Carlman said. “If voters go against the Justice Center SPET initiative, everything local government does will become more difficult because of long term financial strains from debt service on borrowed money for the new Justice Center.”
He said that asking visitors to pay at least half of the cost of a new Justice Center through sales taxes is correct policy and good business.
He agreed with Macker that governance will need to be addressed during individual department reviews, which could involve creating one or more relatively independent agencies, and possibly setting up a regional wastewater management board. “For other services, it may involve one branch of local government doing all the work and billing the other one, as now happens with emergency dispatch services,” Carlman said.
Housing
Q3. Elected officials are debating the density of the 90 Virginian Lane property, with some suggesting the development should be 150 units maximum rather than 150 minimum as outlined in the RFP. What do you think is appropriate density for this project, and what ideas would you bring to the table to create more affordable housing in the community?
Moore suggested lower density on the property.
“It’s not too late for a restructure on the development financing of 90 Virginian Lane with lower density, and bring back to the table our 2023 discussions on the development of Accessory Residential Units by property owners,” he said
“Purchasing an $11 million property for $28 million has created a situation where there’s no way to make any type of profit, not even by reselling it,” Moore said. “Reducing the number of units and raising the price paid for units won’t solve the problem of housing the people we intended to house; that’s the $15/hr forest service worker and the hospital workers that are struggling to pay for child care.”
“For those people encouraging higher density, please go downtown to W. Simpson, stand on the street between Homewood Suites and the parking garage, and look up, or go walk among the housing project on Hansen across from the Brew Pub,” Moore said.
Macker, who has voted in support of the development thus far, said, “I am on the record supporting a minimum of 200 units.”
“Looking ahead, I want to focus on how we can keep existing homes affordable for our community members via mechanisms like down payment assistance or matched savings accounts; generating options for tiny homes on single family lots in the county; collaborating with businesses to incentivize and support their voluntary employee housing efforts; and addressing our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure to ensure water quality isn’t a hindrance to affordable housing,” Macker said.
She also said she is interested in exploring opportunities to keep rental rates affordable through tax abatements and will continue to work on creating infrastructure for affordable, accessible early childhood education, alongside affordable housing.
Carlman said he has made a number of site visits and believes 226 units is a fine working number, but the site plan details will influence the unit count. He says he will take advice from the planners, county staff, advocates and the developer, Pennrose.
“As a community, we have not yet adequately considered the site plan, traffic impacts, snow storage, or the cost of a parking structure,” Carlman said. “Those factors will influence the number of units, their sizes, affordability and community fit.”
“As we find the balance among types of units and the way they support our community, I will lean toward using the public’s investment in this project to house people who provide essential public services,” Carlman said.
O’Donoghue said that the square footage and acreage need to be analyzed to understand how various density options would impact the community.
“Collaborating with Town Council, other Commissioners, and housing advocates, I would love to explore solutions such as mixed-use zoning and more environmentally friendly housing to sustain us for the long run, as well as incentives for affordable housing, to address Teton County’s housing needs thoughtfully and sustainably, while still keeping the people as our priority,” she said.
State collaboration
Q4. What do you think is the role of the Board of County Commissioners at the state level? What unique skills would you bring to those discussions?
With both unique and intertwined issues and significant revenue contribution, showing up in Cheyenne is essential for Teton County, Macker said.
She said the role of the Commission is to work with the legislature to understand the opportunities and impacts of statutory changes, to collaborate with a state agency to ensure Teton County has the resources or support it needs and sometimes to connect with the executive branch on issues of mutual concern with the state or federal government.
“I have a proven track record of showing up and fostering relationships for the betterment of our community,” Macker said. “I am proud of the investment I have made to ensure our county is represented in the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, where I currently serve as the Vice President, and that I have strong relationships with my counterparts across the state so we can work together on key issues, like protecting local control.”
Carlman said that retaining local control over land use planning is high on his list of priorities, too, and he supports retaining the county’s lobbyist for another year.
He said he was grateful for the commitment of current and prior boards to build ties with legislators, noting Macker’s “very important leadership role” on the Wyoming County Commissioners Association.
“I hope to be a useful lieutenant on matters that affect both Teton County and all Wyoming counties,” Carlman said.
“My social and professional ties across our state, including those nurtured through my career
as a Wyoming lawyer, my service on the board of directors of the Wyoming
Community Foundation, and 41 years as a Wyoming resident will help me be an
effective advocate for our county.”
O’Donoghue called the Commission “an essential link” between the local community and state government.
“I bring a strong commitment to collaboration, a genuine willingness to listen and a proactive approach to finding solutions,” O’Donoghue said. “By fostering constructive relationships with state representatives and listening to the concerns of our residents, I am confident we can advocate effectively for Teton County’s priorities on issues such as infrastructure, economic development and environmental stewardship.”
Moore said, “we need to be careful about how much state and federal control we allow into our local community.”
“The County’s special districts already create a decentralized form of governance, and with more joint boards and volunteer boards being created, we are forced to be more competitive in the grant getting process,” Moore said.
Moore said grants produce problems because “in order to get a grant, there has to be a problem and if there isn’t a problem, we create one in order to get the money.”
For more information about the 2024 local election, check out Buckrail’s election page.
