In one last public forum Monday evening, all five Sweetwater County Commissioner candidates attended to answer various questions.
Moderators asked the candidates questions about the economy, building codes, lobbying and taxing alternative energy.
Candidates are Democrats Gary Bailiff and Holly Dabb and Independent R. Scott Hamel and Republican incumbents Wally Johnson and Don Van Matre.
1. What could the commissioners do to improve the economics of Green River and Rock Springs? Do you think the county has a responsibility to help municipal economies?
Dabb said the county needs to have more consistent policies in the planning and zoning department. She also believes an economic development association would benefit the community.
Hamel wants the county to work on a more sustainable revenue source. To do this, the county would need to identify tracks of land it can purchase along Interstate 80 and sell it to businesses.
Johnson said the county needs to take care of the quality jobs it does have, including oil and gas, trona and minerals. He said the county is currently working on trying to get an industrial megaplex in it.
Bailiff said both the Rock Springs and Green River chambers of commerce are looking at what is available in the county and what the county needs to work on. He said they are a good place to start on reliable economic development information.
Van Matre said before any diversification of the county’s economy can be done, infrastructure needs to be in place, including broadband.
2. What would you lobby for at the state level that will benefit Sweetwater County?
Hamel said he would want the county and state to keep control of its public lands.
Johnson and Bailiff both agreed getting the state to release some of its “rainy day funds” would be a good place to start. The state continues to hold onto those funds, when counties are hurting.
Van Matre said he would work hard to build trust and confidence with other groups before trying a lobbying effort. “The lobbying effort just won’t work if we don’t have trust,” Van Matre said.
Dabb said she would push for Medicaid expansion, which she said could save the state $276 million. She said the highway funding formula for highways is disproportionate. She also said some counties are too small and should just be combined with others.
3. The county has not adopted building codes. Do you think this is something the commissioners should address?
Bailiff said the county’s planning and zoning department keeps a pretty close eye on projects. However, some do slip through the cracks. For example: there is a residence in Jamestown that is practically falling down.
Van Matre said the county has spent six years improving those requirements and people seem to take the approach of “do it and then ask for forgiveness.” The county has done a good job of policing them. “Saying we have no building codes is kind of far fetched.”
Dabb said it is a good idea to have codes, but not the same codes as the city does. She said people move out onto county property for a reason, including having horses. In the 1970s, buildings were thrown up quick and other’s looked the other way because it was a boom, but the county is still paying for those cases that were overlooked.
Hamel said one of the county’s biggest problems is outlying subdivisions. He said in the city subdivisions are required to have curbs, gutters, sidewalks and other infrastructure done, but in the county this isn’t happening.
Johnson said 10 years ago a resident needed to have a permit to build a chicken coop in Farson. The planning and zoning commission has been overhauled and it is issuing nuisance property citations to those not following county regulations.
All of the candidates were against having wind farms in Sweetwater County. They also agreed if an alternative energy source is going to come to the county, they would have to pay taxes just like everybody else.
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