A local legislator may have had intentions of giving the Sweetwater County Commissioners a friendly update, but it quickly turned into the Commissioners questioning whether or not he had the county’s best interest in mind during this legislative session.
During the County Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, Commissioner Randy Wendling asked Rep. Clark Stith, R-Rock Springs, why he voted in favor of Senate File 49 when so many Sweetwater County residents and county commissioners across the state were opposed to the bill.
He said the Wyoming County Commissioners Association referred to this bill as the “Teton County Bill” and comes after a dispute involving the size of a private school proposed in the county.
SF 49 states no zoning resolution or plan shall regulate and restrict the location and use of the buildings and structures and the use, condition of use or occupancy of lands for the use of a private school as defined in Wyoming Statute 21-4-101 (a) (iii) in any manner different from a public school.
Wendling said his understanding was that the Teton County regulations in place didn’t support a structure of the size of the property the private school wanted to be located on.
“What it came down to was local control,” Wendling said. “Circumventing local control through a legislative process.”
He said when the Sweetwater County Commissioners found out it was going through the Senate with ease, they reached out to all of the local representatives to let them know it wasn’t about the schools it was about losing local control.
“We did have one representative of the county that was not supportive of it. Rep. Stith, who is here today that voted in favor of it,” Wendling said.
Wendling said he talked to many people about this bill from Green River leadership, lobbying committees, the commissioners across the state and those in the planning and zoning department who all agreed this was not a good bill to pass.
“I’ve got one question, first of all help me understand, why it is that all these people, leaders in this county, representing the people of Sweetwater County are wrong,” Wendling asked.
“This is a Teton County bill,” he said.
“Why is it that I sense it’s more important to support a belief in another county than it is to support Sweetwater County on this,” Wendling asked Stith. “I need to have some understanding to figure this out. I was going to do this personally with you, but you showed up today. I think Sweetwater County people need to know why it is that you hang your hat on representing Sweetwater County. Why are we supporting other county’s issues rather than our own people.”
“I was extremely disappointed in what Clark did relative to this bill,” Chairman Wally Johnson said. “I’ve always said there are 22 counties in this state and then there’s Teton.”
When the WCCA gives a thumbs up or a thumbs down on a bill, a legislator should pay attention to that, he said. The WCCA represents the entire state, not a small segment of the population like most legislators and the WWCC gave the thumbs down on this one.
Stith was allowed to speak to the issue.
“I’m here to take my beating,” Stith said.
He said he had great conversations with Wendling about it and didn’t have a chance to get back with Commissioner Roy Lloyd before the vote.
He said SF 49 basically says that a county should zone a public school and private school the same. There is a loss of control, he said.
Before this bill passed, the county could place certain regulations on private schools. Stith said the loss of control took place four decades ago when the Attorney General’s office determined counties couldn’t issue zoning regulations on public schools.
“Why did I vote for it? I voted for it because I think it’s fundamentally unfair for the government to be able to do one thing and for the private sector to not be able to do that same thing.”
He said in Teton County the public schools can build a structure of 100,000 square feet, but private schools cannot exceed 10,ooo square feet.
“The principle of is all is one of fairness, Stith said.
Other business
After a one hour and 45 minute executive session, the Commissioners approved two Voluntary Separation Requests.
They also unanimously approved a $21,000 budget amendment request from Sweetwater Medics. This was for four months only.
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