[Want to modify the number of weekly emails you receive? Find out how at the end of this post.]
Before we get started, just a note to let everyone know I’m taking a few weeks off. Don’t worry, I’ll be back—however, you won’t receive another SVR News Roundup email post until the first week of August. I appreciate your patience in the interim!
With that, here’s your SVR news roundup for the week of July 7th, 2024:
Tuesday, July 9th was a busy day for the Town of Star Valley Ranch (TSVR). Things got started at Town Hall with Coffee with the Mayor at 9am followed by a Town Council work session at 10am. Here is a link to the work session agenda along with a couple of notes:
The Council discussed ways to mitigate speeding on Town roads. The Town Administrator is currently working with the Public Works Department (PWD) to get speed bumps reinstalled on selected Town roads.
The Council voted to approve recommendations received from the TSVR Travel and Tourism Board to fund advertising for the upcoming farmers market (to be rebranded as the Ranch Rendezvous market) and also to provide a three-month stipend for a Ranch Rendezvous market manager.
Next on the docket for Tuesday, the TSVR Municipal Court was held at 2pm, upstairs at Town Hall. One citation was adjudicated for a vicious dog and the remaining five citations were all for Short-Term Rental (STR) properties operating without permits. Unfortunately, only one of the five property owners showed up for their court date.
Note that the Town is currently working with our Prosecuting Attorney, TSVR Municipal Judge, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department to determine the best way forward when it comes to handling citations for STR property owners who live out of state and fail to appear.
On Tuesday evening at 7pm the Town Council held their regular monthly meeting at Town Hall. Here’s a link to the meeting packet and also to the video recording on YouTube. [I am happy to say the July regular monthly meeting recording is an improvement in terms of audio/video (A/V) quality and the Town is continuing to work to upgrade its A/V capabilities.] Here are a couple of notes from the meeting for those of you who may be interested:
There were a number of citizens who made public comments during the meeting. The topics raised included: the annual town wage listing, documentation for the new water rates, dust management of Town roads, speed control on Town roads, short-term rental permitting and penalties, the overall condition of town roads, and a request for the Council to provide an update on the outcome of the June 25th Special Meeting.
The Mayor updated residents that, subsequent to the June 25th Special Meeting, the Town has completed the purchase of the property at issue in Plat 22. The Town is moving forward to have the property surveyed and at this point in time is considering replatting the property and may opt to sell it in future.
The Mayor also advised residents that with the dry hot conditions during the past week that our local forest fire danger has been increased to High.
You can get the latest updates on forest fire danger at the Teton Interagency Fire website.
Wednesday, July 10th at 5pm the TSVR Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board met at Town Hall. Here’s a link to the draft minutes from the meeting. As a quick recap the P&Z Board approved the following items during the meeting: two new single-family home (SFH) permits, one SFH permit extension, one roof permit extension, two deck permits, and one driveway permit.
Other news and notes from the week:
On Thursday, July 11th, the Lincoln County office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management published a notice about the uptick in forest fires cropping up over the past week. Certainly, we’ve all noticed the smoke and haze creeping into our valley in recent days and no doubt air quality has taken a hit as a result. Check out the AirNow.gov smoke map to keep an eye on air quality and see where the smoke is thickest. You can also visit this interactive map at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assocation website to see the latest smoke forecast.
This satellite image from July 11th shows just how much smoke is out there. Unfortunately, conditions are expected to worsen across the western states for the foreseeable future. It appears a mother black bear and two cubs have been making the rounds near the southeast end of Vista Drive and Hillside Drive in recent weeks. The Town posted a notice on its Facebook page when the most recent sighting of these bruins occurred on Thursday, July 11th .
Lastly, with the beginning of the new budget year on July 1st , TSVR has [as required by Wyoming Statute 15-1-110(b)] posted the wages of Town employees and Town Council members on the Town website. You can access the wage listing document here.
Here’s a look at calendar items for the next few weeks:
Tuesday, July 16th at 6pm the Star Valley Ranch Association (SVRA) will hold a Board of Directors (BoD) workshop at Cedar Creek Center.
Thursday, July 18th at 1pm the TSVR Finance Advisory Board will meet at Town Hall.
Also on Thursday, July 18th at 7pm the SVRA BoD will hold their regular monthly meeting at Cedar Creek Center.
Wednesday, July 24th at 7am, there will be a Guided Nature Walk hosted by the Bridger Teton National Forest in coordination with the TSVR Natural Resources Board. Interested participants should meet at the Green Canyon Trailhead. See the poster below for more information.
Also on Wednesday, July 24th at 5pm the TSVR P&Z Board will meet at Town Hall.
Thursday, July 25th at 10am, the Town Council will hold a Special Meeting to receive an update on the Water Master Plan. Here is a link to the agenda.
Final thoughts—a big shout-out to my neighbor, Deb, for sharing a video clip of a young mule deer fawn frolicking on her lawn this week! I added a little music I think compliments this little fellas happiness. Just click below and enjoy! And, I’ll look forward to getting more SVR news out to you at the beginning of next month!
Thank you for reading. If you have Star Valley Ranch news to share please drop me an email at close2home307@gmail.com. And, if you find this weekly email useful, please invite your neighbors, family, and friends to check out Close to Home 307. Your support and feedback is very much appreciated!
Want to customize your Close to Home 307 subscription and the number of emails you receive each week? Please click this About page link and scroll mid-way down the page to learn how to update your settings.
Thank you for all the updates each week! It is good to know what is happening in our village from local government items to the "happy dance" performed by one of our own four-legged wonders!