WHEATLAND – A briefing of activity by county elected official and department heads revealed business as usual at a meeting with county commissioners last week.
Starting the morning brief, LeRoy Jons of the UW / Platte County Ag Extension Office, said, “The fair went great!”
He added, Stacy Buchholz, 4H youth coordinator will begin a new year of 4H the first of October; and a VISTA intern also begin at that time. Buchholz is preparing for various school education programs this fall.
He reported Mary Evans, the Cent$ible Nutrition coordinator and vitality and health educator, is attending further education classes, but has also hosted a community mural walk. The mural walks combine exercise, history, and connecting with others in the community.
Jons said the horticulture department is answering calls for advice about dry trees. There are several different ag-oriented organizations the horticulture department works with across the state. One of those is the Wyoming Food Coalition, which has several different working groups, and hosts various speaker series open to the public. One of the most recent topics in the food series was about food safety for people selling at farmer’s markets or utilizing the food freedom act. One of the working groups is focused on sustainable ecosystems focusing on soil health and local gardens. Another one applicable group to the local area is the vibrant farmer group focusing on small working farms, high tunnels, etc. Right now, there are a few farmer’s market stores: storefronts that small-scale farmers can sell in.
Regarding the Wyoming Food coalition, Jons said, “I’m for our working for people making a living off the land. That’s what we are here for. We’re here to support the local community and get local food into local markets.”

In answer to commissioner Ian Jolovich’s inquiry into farm-to-table issues, Jons said the Food Freedom Act, passed by the Wyoming legislature in 2015 but most recently amended in 2023, has allowed small-scale producers and their designated agents to sell food and processed food, relish, etc. directly to an informed consumer. “In the long run, looking around the nation, the Food Freedom Act has been a marker for a lot of other states. The food freedom act did open a lot of options for farmers and ranchers.”
Jons said, at first, he had a lot of concerns with the act, but the legislature is looking at tightening some of the regulations, specifically regarding red meat. “I think people need to know when they are selling to the community that there are [safety] rules. The last thing we want is someone to get food poisoning because they didn’t do it right,” he added.
He said anyone with questions can call him at the extension office for more information.
Assessor Danette Eppel and Treasurer Kristi Rietz are preparing for the next round of tax bills that will sent to property owners. They are also expecting an influx of inquiries regarding applications for the property tax relief bill which allows the department of revenue to provide an exemption for long-term homeowners, which was passed by the legislature this year.
House Bill 3 establishes a tax exemption for long-term homeowners who are 65 years of age or older and who have paid property tax in Wyoming for 25 years or more. The amount of the property tax exemption is 50% of the assessed value of the residential real property that is used as a primary residence. This exemption is only to be used on the property that the owner resides in for not less than eight months out of the year. The applications must be turned into the assessor’s office before May 26, 2025 to be considered. Eppel said she is happy to discuss the rules and any questions with the public over the phone or in person.
Eppel also told commissioners the vendor who does mapping services for the assessor’s office will be retiring, and since his rates were lower than typical market rates, the commissioners can expect to make decisions in the future regarding mapping services.
County Clerk Malcolm Ervin told commissioners the primaries are over, and his office is moving forward with the necessary preparations for the general election on Nov. 5. He said special districts all had candidates file to run for the open positions, except for fire districts.
Camp Guernsey operations manager Robby Cain said the training camp is coming into the slow period. Wyoming State Forestry will be coming in October, along with the fire warden to look at the camp’s fire management setup.
Platte County Public Health nurse manager Penny Simonton said her department is preparing for flu/covid mass immunization clinics in Glendo, Guernsey, Chugwater, and Wheatland sometime in October. Simonton will be working with the school nurses in each town to work out the details of parental permission documentation for children aged nine and over who want to have the immunizations. There will also be clinics at a public venue in each location. More information will be released when the final details are ironed out.
Public Health’s community prevention specialist Anne Petroski received the okay from commissioners on a public information campaign to educate people on signs of problem gambling and the resources available. She said there has been an increase in problem gambling, including among kids, with the increased availability of gambling on cell phones.
Petroski added, “It is not an anti-gambling campaign: it is to try to help people who have tried to quit gambling and are struggling with it… It is so prevalent.”