WHEATLAND – The Wheatland City Council wants to make it easier to obtain the required permits for temporary catering and malt beverage sales in the community.

By a unanimous vote Dec. 11, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance, which would authorize the town clerk to issue the temporary permits. Issuance would still be dependent upon completion of the permit application and payment of the appropriate fees, according to the text of the ordinance.

The Wheatland council, and other governing bodies across the state, have the authority under Wyoming law to issue both types of permits. By placing the authorization to issue permits in the hands of the town clerk, it makes the processing a bit easier.

The issue arose in November, where the town council had to reach a consensus via email vote to approve a catering permit for the Dusty Boots Restaurant and Lounge in Wheatland. There was insufficient time prior to the event for the council to meet and approve a permit in person, according to minutes of the meeting.

The council on Dec. 11 ratified that email vote on the permit by a 3-1 decision, with councilmember Brandon Graves casting the dissenting vote.

The new ordinance stipulates that applicants, servers and volunteers who would be serving liquor or malt beverages under the permit may be required to complete a responsible server course with the Wheatland Police Department. It also sets fees for the permits at $50 for a 24-hour catering or malt beverage permit, as well as $50 for a temporary dispensing room permit. 

It further stipulates that, should the permit application be filed less than 10 days prior to a given event, fees would increase to $100. The ordinance also gives the police chief or authorized designee power to revoke any temporary permits issued.

City Attorney Doug Weaver was instructed to consult with the Wyoming Liquor Association regarding the ordinance and report back during the January meeting.

A second ordinance establishes fees for urn niches in the Wheatland Cemetery columbarium.

The city will impose a $1,000 fee per niche, which includes engraving the names, birth and death dates for two individuals. Additional engravings would be at the owner expense. 

The proposed ordinance also stipulates no more than two urns per niche and establishes fees of $50 for opening the niches Monday through Friday at $100 for opening on weekends and holidays.

A further stipulation of the ordinance will divert $75 from the $1,000 per niche fee to a perpetual care fund to be established for the future maintenance of the columbarium.

The council will need to approve two more readings of the ordinances at future meetings before they become city law.

In other business, the council:

n Heard from Hugh Peltz, representing the Platte County Farmer’s Market. Peltz requested approval from the council to restrict vendors to only members of the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. Peltz said he was concerned about vendors not meeting safety requirements.

The council discussed the ramifications of placing restrictions on a public park and instructed City Attorney Doug Weaver to look into the matter. The council also requested Peltz return for the Jan. 8 meeting to revisit the issue.

n Received a request from Malcolm Ervin, representing the Platte County Youth Baseball association, to make alterations to the city baseball fields on Ponderosa Street to allow for hosting of a Cal Ripkin Baseball league state tournament. The council requested Ervin to contact the city parks department and return at a future meeting with a cost estimate and timeline on the alterations.

n Rejected a bid for $83,900 for insulating the city transfer station from Olind Construction of Wheatland. It was noted the price did not include the cost of electrical or duct work.

The council agreed the $50,000 already budgeted for the project could be used for alternative heating sources and to further explore the idea.

n Authorized Mayor Joe Fabian to sign a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, part of the required paperwork for the ongoing airport reconstruction project.