This Thursday, the State Loan and Investment (SLIB) Board will convene to discuss a number of proposed projects and applications put forward by local governments as part of the Mineral Royalty Grant Program. One of these projects, of which I am in complete and total support, is Wheatland’s application to demolish and replace the Black Mountain water tower, something that is long overdue and absolutely necessary to ensure adequate water supply and safety for the Wheatland community.
As a member of the State Loan and Investment Board, my top priority has been to focus the State Loan and Investment Board’s finite resources on funding critical infrastructure projects, with an emphasis on water and sewer projects just like Wheatland’s. When this issue first came to our attention, it was clear that this is an emergency situation. Property, lives, and livelihoods are on the line.
When the SLIB Board first heard Wheatland’s emergency application in January and approved the existing water tower’s demolition, it was understood that there would be other opportunities for funding the replacement of the Wheatland water tower.

Just such an opportunity appeared during the 2024 Legislative Session, when the Wyoming Legislature agreed to fund the rest of the project through an amendment to the budget for this critical purpose. Rep. Jeremy Haroldson did a great job on working to advocate for this funding in the budget.
However, in a deeply disturbing move, Governor Gordon decided to line-item veto the budget amendment. Governor Gordon’s outrageously wrong line item veto removed the funding for the Wheatland water tower rebuild from the budget. In a bizarre letter attempting to explain the veto, the Governor claimed that local representatives’ vote against the entire budget played a role in his decision to veto the appropriation, even though the Wheatland water tower represented only about 0.018% of the entire budget. Governor Gordon’s wrong-headed veto was retaliatory and political and put us right back at square one.
It is crucial that we support communities like Wheatland, and I remain committed to supporting its application. As such, this Thursday I will vote in support of full and adequate funding of Wheatland’s project. It is about time that this get done.

Chuck Gray was elected Wyoming Secretary of State in 2022. As Secretary of State, he is one of five members of the State Loan and Investment Board and the State Board of Land Commissioners. Prior to his election to statewide office, Gray served three terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives.