KEMMERER — Wyoming Rep. Tom Crank, R-Kemmerer, met with the Kemmerer City Council during its meeting on Monday, March 27.

He approached the council during visitor comments to update the community on his experience at the Wyoming Legislature that adjourned on March 3 in Cheyenne.

“It was my first time and others said it was a very contentious session,” Crank said. “At times it was pretty exciting and also very frustrating to see the process of bills.”

Crank said that 70 percent of Wyoming’s revenue comes from mineral extraction industries. But you can’t spend money you don’t have, Crank explained.

“If the mineral industry comes back, we will be in the clear and be able to put money back into … savings,” said Crank.

The state pulled more than $70 million from the rainy day fund to help balance the budget. “Everyone saw cuts everywhere,” Crank said. “We still face a real problem.”

Crank continued to explain how schools, senior services and small towns were hit hard with many budget cuts. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Department of Transportation suffered as well, and Crank warned that residents will see increases in hunting licenses and other fees.

The money has to be made up somewhere and fees for license plates are more than likely to increase, too, he said. Crank apologized to the council for bringing the bad news and thanked them for the opportunity to represent the community.

The following items on the consent agenda were approved by council: payment of bills and payroll totaling roughly $179,000, agreement to sell city-owned property located next to Bank of the West to Tom and Corinna Crank, a grant application for the Fossil Basin Promotion board, contract hiring Jacob Roberts as the new Fossil Island Golf Club superintendent, a grant awarded from Kemmerer Foundation in the amount of $28,467, approval of a $25,000 gift to the Front Sight Firearms Training Institute for the Kemmerer Police Department, a grant application for Highway Safety Grant for Kemmerer Police Department, a grant application for mosquito abatement grant for parks department, a grant application for technical assistance through Wyoming Office of Tourism for wayfinding signage and a grant application for Tour West Performing Arts.

The council was scheduled to have its second reading of Ordinance 2017-853 amending section 11-19 of the Kemmerer City code requiring business licenses of for-profit vendors at non-profit events; however, it was tabled until the next meeting to give staff more time to research.