BEAR RIVER — The Nov. 14 Bear River Town Council meeting resulted in the appointment a new mayor after the untimely passing of long-standing civil servant Brian Stokes last month. Attorney Dean Stout was on hand to explain the process of mayoral replacement. Councilmembers Clyde Kofoed, Lance Norris, Vernon Condie and B.J. Stokes also previously conferred with Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) to review the state statutes regarding the matter.

Norris notably mentioned that there were “10 people in attendance tonight; that’s 10 times more than usual,” to the amusement of attendees.

Each councilmember took an opportunity to offer thanks and remember Stokes for his decades of service and as a founding member of the Town of Bear River.

“His service is seriously missed,” said Condie

Kofoed, Norris and Stokes nominated mayor pro-tem and councilman Condie to the role of mayor, which he accepted before being sworn in. 

The appointment of Condie to mayor left a vacant seat on the council. Two Bear River residents, Nick White and former mayor Troy Nolan, threw their hats in the ring and spoke briefly about their passion for their town and how they could be of service.

Nolan said, “I understand this process very well.”

White said,”I don’t think you could go wrong with either of us.”

Kofoed said, “[We have] two great guys. Thanks for going through this process with us.” Norris added, “Thanks to Nick and Troy for their willingness and desire to serve and for stepping up.”

Ultimately, Nolan was nominated and voted into the role of councilman and was also sworn in.

Other items of new business included nominating and appointing councilman Norris to mayor pro-tem and removing Brian Stokes as signor of the town’s money markets and bank accounts, designating Condie and Norris as signors, in addition to long-serving town clerk and treasurer Barbara Couture.

Further orders of business included introducing Stout as the town’s newly-appointed attorney. The intention to hire a town judge was also broached and deferred to a later time.

Public Works Superintendent Dave Dasher had several items of business. He fielded inquiries about a rodent problem, particularly rats, from resident Debbie Jones. She suspected they were inhabiting abandoned homes near Mountain Road. Dasher said there is a nuisance provision to hire an exterminator, likely next spring. He also mentioned the possibility of issuing up to $750 citations to owners of problematic properties in the future, but said he was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

Dasher discussed the vandalization of and theft from the town fuel pumps twice over the past month, and said the dated security equipment was unable to read license plate numbers to potentially identify the perpetrator.

“The M.O. is the same, but it’s different vehicles,” he said. Nineteen gallons were stolen initially, and an additional 20 gallons the second offense. He explained that a new camera system was recently installed, as were motion sensor lights and new locks.

Bear River was recently denied for the second time an opportunity at an Urbanization Grant, though they came closer this time than previously.

“We scored 66 out of 71 points this time, and only 10 out of 31 applicants were approved this year,” Dasher said. “We’re getting closer, and I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep working on it.”

Dasher said it would help secure the grant funds if Bear River presented more of a curb-and-gutter facade, and was hoping that efforts to drop the speed limit from 65 to 45 mph would be approved.

“We need to look more like a town rather than just a highway with homes to the side,” he said.

Dasher recommended that the council revisit and approve a $76,600 Strategic Growth Master Plan developed by Forsgren Associates. He also said there was a need for an updated planning and zoning map. There was also one new building permit issued for a resident’s garage during the meeting.

Dasher’s road maintenance efforts were praised by attendees. He said he thought the rain softened them up a bit, but they were still in good shape. He said they’re finished hauling gravel off of Deer Mountain. He also explained that water and sewer discharge happens every three to four months, and the town recently flushed the hydrants aahead of winter.

Councilman Norris talked about the fire department’s renegotiation of their working relationship with Summit County, Utah, as formerly “win/lose, with us on the losing end,” to something more “fair and equitable,” as Bear River responds to emergency calls close to the state line. He also said their ambulance services are quite busy, and operators are now particularly mindful of the often-hazardous winter road conditions.

Economic development prospects were introduced by councilman Kofoed. He mentioned the possibility of a crypto mine company establishing itself in the land behind Silver Eagle Refinery.

“It’s basically a bunch of computers that need air and space to cool off,” he explained.

He mentioned Shades of Pale microbrewery set to establish in the Evanston Roundhouse soon. There’s also a local committee trying to secure the bid for a multi-million-dollar long-range shooting facility, which would host competitions and likely garner significant tourist revenue.

There are several communities throughout the state vying for the opportunity, but Kofoed is hopeful that Uinta County has a decent chance to secure the bid. Finally, Kofoed mentioned that Uinta County School District No. 1 is in need of more funding to try to recruit educators.

A discussion regarding a petition to propose a 50% cut on property taxes for next year’s election ballot was initiated by councilman Norris. He said that while on the face of it, a 50% decrease in property taxes seems alluring, the measure could come with very serious repercussions.

He said he had discussed the ballot-initiative campaign, introduced by former-gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien of Sheridan, with Uinta County Treasurer Terry Brimhall and discovered that the fire department alone could see a substantial loss of funding — approximating $82,000 annually.

“Volunteerism is already down; it’s a very real possibility that we could call 911 and no one shows up,” Norris said.

Norris asked the council and meeting attendees to explore ideas to educate Bear River residents on the potentially-dire consequences that could happen if such a measure were to pass next November. Norris said that the county is already half-way to its petition goal of 1,000 signatures. Only 29,000 signatures are required statewide.

Finally, the council promoted “Santa’s Coming to Town Hall,” scheduled from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 16. They mentioned what a success the recent Halloween celebration was, for kids and adults alike, as an opportunity to get to know their fellow Bear River residents.