Some call for new 'Powder River County'
CHAD BALDWIN and PETER HOCKADAY Star-Tribune staff writers | Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2007 12:00 am
People in Kaycee, Wright and Midwest sometimes feel like the forgotten stepchildren of their respective counties.
For many folks in Kaycee and surrounding small communities of southern Johnson County, it seems the county seat of Buffalo gets more than its share of government services and resources.
Same for people in Midwest and Edgerton in northeast Natrona County, which is dominated by Casper and its neighboring municipalities.
And for Wright in southern Campbell County, the frustration extends beyond the fact that all five county commissioners are from Gillette and the surrounding area.
Now, some people in Kaycee are putting their frustrations into action. They want to join with Midwest, Wright and other small communities in southern Johnson and Campbell counties and northern Natrona County to create a new Powder River County.
A petition drive started in Kaycee to promote the idea has attracted 100 signatures so far, said Sarah Christensen, a Kaycee resident leading the effort.
"Basically, it's been years of people talking a lot of talk and not taking the initiative to do anything," Christensen said Wednesday. "With the five communities, and the industries within the communities, us all pooling our resources together, I think we could do it."
It won't be easy. A 2003 attorney general's opinion concluded that county creation is up to the Legislature, and recent efforts to divide counties have failed in Lincoln and Fremont counties. The last time a new county was created was 1921, when lawmakers carved Teton County from Lincoln County, and Sublette County was formed from parts of Fremont and Lincoln counties.
In the case of the proposed Powder River County, backers are sure to face opposition from the three county seats - and not just because of a big-brotherly desire to keep the counties whole. Southern Campbell County has the county's biggest coal mines, and northern Natrona County and southern Johnson County are home to significant oil and gas activity. A significant chunk of the three counties' tax bases would be lost.
"It certainly would have an impact on Natrona County and the mineral revenues of Natrona County, and we would certainly want to be part of that discussion if they decided to move forward," said Jon Campbell, commissioner in that county.
Who's getting what
Squabbles over resource allocation have a long history in Wyoming counties, particularly those with multiple population centers. In the relatively tiny towns targeted for the proposed Powder River County - Wright is the largest with a population of about 1,600 - the frustration isn't far from the surface.
"It's such a small town that we don't get much of anything out here," said Kim Haviland, clerk at Junction Convenience Store in Midwest. "I don't like that very well (that our money goes elsewhere). We're the ones that are running the oil wells out here, major Salt Creek oil field out here. I think we should be entitled to something for all our men out here running these oil fields."
Christensen said "it's like pulling teeth" to get money for improvements at Harold Jarrard Park in Kaycee, for example.
"All of our tax money goes to the bigger towns," she said. "… We want to keep the tax money where it's being made."
Wright Mayor Kelly Hand has made no secret of his frustrations with the Campbell County Commission. Earlier this year, he publicly criticized the board for denying his request for a tornado shelter in a community devastated by a twister in 2005.
"Campbell County had a record valuation this year, a record budget this year, and with all that said they're still seeking bonding for a new rec center in Gillette. We got zero," he said. "All we wanted was a new public safety building to serve all of southern Campbell County… That sort of thing kind of aggravates folks down here."
Hand said Wednesday he hadn't heard of the petition drive for Powder River County, but "of course I would listen" to people promoting the idea. If it were to move forward, though, he expects plenty of opposition from the county seat to the north.
"A majority of the large (coal) mines are in southern Campbell County, so they're probably not gonna let us go without a fight," he said. "They'd spend the millions of dollars they have to litigate it. They're not gonna part with that money quickly or easily."
Campbell County Commissioner Roy Edwards hadn't heard of the Powder River County idea either, and he predicted it won't get much traction in the Legislature. He also said the commission has treated Wright fairly.
"There are always gonna be problems with someone feeling like they're not getting their fair share," he said. "You're not gonna be able to have all the amenities in every town there is."
'We don't have what we need'
Johnson County Commissioner Delbert Eitel, who has lived in Kaycee for 44 years, said he views the petition drive as a misguided attempt to get attention.
"This has happened a time or two over the years, and it never goes anywhere," he said. "A couple of people get aggravated at the system, thinking Buffalo gets the best of everything. But that's not really the way it is."
Christensen, however, said backers of Powder River County - the committee has nine members, she said - are intent on moving forward. A meeting is scheduled at 5 p.m. Jan. 16 at Harold Jarrard Park in Kaycee, and she plans to go to Wright and Midwest to get more signatures.
"Right now I'm focusing on small communities that are not getting what we need to be a community," she said. "Our retiring people have to go to Buffalo, somewhere they don't know. We don't have health care, we don't have what we need."
"We would have to have a new school district, a new county seat, but we have people in place to help guide us to set it up," she said.
Star-Tribune City Editor David Mayberry contributed to this report.