5 Questions With: Joe Barbuto, Roy Lloyd, Reid West, Jeffrey Smith & Randall “Doc” Wendling; Candidates For Sweetwater County Commission

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In today’s edition of “5 Questions With…” Wyo4News reached out to Sweetwater County Commissioner Candidates Randall “Doc” Wendling, Jeffrey Smith, Joe Barbuto, Roy Lloyd and Reid West about subjects of importance to Wyoming voters.

Wyo4News received answers from Smith, Wendling, Lloyd, West and Barbuto.

WHAT WILL YOU DO TO FACILITATE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE CITIES AND COUNTY?

Joe Barbuto: The first step would be to ensure that community leaders are meeting on a regular basis to discuss our current needs and opportunities. In most cases, we will have shared visions and goals for the future of Sweetwater County. Working in collaboration and planning together will help ensure that our objectives are reached.

Randall Wendling: Facilitating cooperation between the cities, towns, and communities with the county continues to be at the forefront of my re-election. To facilitate continued cooperation, I will continue listening and working collaboratively with all leaders of Sweetwater County. I believe “building-bridges through positive and trusting relationships” is key in working collaboratively with all local leaders. I will continue show all leaders and constituents the respect and trust they deserve. By being approachable, trusting, and respectful, I will set the foundation for building positive partnerships, resulting in a successful and collaborative working environment – an environment of “building bridges through positive and trusting relationships.” I wish to represent the values and principles of the people of Sweetwater County.

Jeffrey Smith:  My my philosophy, both personally and professionally, is to find out what is right, not who is right.  Cooperation begins with communication and putting the needs of our residents above any personal biases or personal agendas is a great first step.  I believe cities and the county will do the right thing as long as the vision of what is right wins out over who is right.

Roy Lloyd: Collaboration is essential. Collaboration begins with presenting ideas, finding a common vision and working with integrity and respect.We need to create a unity and vision within all of Cities/Towns in Sweetwater County. If elected Commissioner, I will attend town meetings and community events to build relationships and gain knowledge to help facilitate cooperation and collaboration throughout the community.

Reid West: I believe we cooperate very well. I answer my phone, my emails, and our door is always open. The cities represent the majority of the residents of the county, and the commission represents them all. Sometime a city or town (or other entity) may need a little help, and we should help them if we can. We are all in this together, providing a wide array of services, so why wouldn’t we? In addition, they are our partners in Joint Powers Boards, i.e., Water Board, Combined Communications, Airport. We also cooperate with public safety and emergency response for the benefit of all. We may differ at times about the means to get there, but we all want what is best for the county as a whole. The people elected them and they deserve our respect. Mutual respect dissolves barriers.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY FOR BUDGETING COUNTY AGENCIES?

Randall Wendling: Budgets for county agencies (core departments, component units, and agencies) should be funded to efficiently provide public services as lined out in State Statute/Law. What ever level our resources, a balance budget is critical – supported with the belief “resources should serve the people, not people serving the resources.” Being fiscally responsible is an expectation for all Sweetwater County funded agencies.

Jeffrey Smith:  Budgeting for county agencies sounds easy, but when the time comes it can certainly be difficult.  Don’t spend more than you bring in.  Core services take priority when deciding where to spend money.  And save for a rainy day, but don’t do it to an extreme which hurts people in the present.  

Roy Lloyd: I believe budgeting should be an interactive process with elected officials, department heads and agency representatives using an analytical approach to the county budget. Reviewing each budget and finding efficiencies is essential to the success of a balanced budget. I do not believe that across the board cuts are effective. Taking an analytical approach of budget review is essential to producing an efficient, effective and balanced budget.

Reid West: Core County is made up of those statutory things we must provide, commonly thought of as those associated with the courthouse, i.e., clerk, treasurer, assessor, land use, road and bridge, sheriff, detention center, etc. Component units are entities created by the county, i.e., hospital, public health, events complex, library, museum, southwest counseling, etc. Outside agencies are those that primarily deliver human services that ask us for support, i.e., senior centers, YWCA, food bank, hospice, respite care, etc. Some are entirely funded by the county, and some are partially funded. I am a fiscal conservative. It is our job to ensure the taxpayers dollars spent appropriately. Things have evolved to where they are for a reason, and we don’t need to re-invent the wheel. But we need to ask tough questions and be transparent, because that is good government. When revenues decline, it’s easy to say the best way to cut is surgically, but far more difficult in practice. Core county comes first, but even core county must participate in the cuts if it is needed to balance. We used reserves to balance our budget the last three years, and I am fine with that, but only to a point. You may use savings to get by for a while, but not forever. So everyone must share in the pain.

Joe Barbuto: A budget is a statement of values. There are core services that have to be funded, and everything else is a comment on what kind of community we choose to create. Dollars are limited, so it is critical that commissioners receive input from citizens about how they want their tax dollars invested. Not everyone is able to make a Tuesday morning meeting in Green River, but they still may have opinions and ideas regarding the budget. With that in mind, I would propose holding community forums/workshops around Sweetwater County to include more people in the process. More input, ideas, and questions will lead to a more vetted final product that truly reflects our community.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF THE COUNTY COMMISSION?

Jeffrey Smith: The most important function of the county commission is to function in a leadership role.  Lead the county employees and residents with a vision of what can be.  Allow those employees to do their jobs without burdens or micro-management from the commission.  Giving an overall direction and getting out of the way to let good people do their work is what I believe the commission should be doing.

Roy Lloyd: Ensuring the county budget is efficient, effective and balanced. Creating a financial plan that meets the current County needs, but also the long term needs and vision of the County are the most essential duty of the County Commission.

Reid West: Balancing the budget and appropriating funds. We have statutory obligations to deliver certain services to the public. Public safety is a huge component of that. The sheriff’s budget alone consumes 1/3 of our core county budget. Beyond that, it is managing the affairs of the county, which are many. We conduct business twice a month, and the issues before us are broad.

Joe Barbuto: The most important function of the commission is to provide general oversight of county operations. That means making sure departments and employees have the tools, resources, and information they need to be successful, ensuring budgets are appropriate for existing needs and maintained, and that citizens have quality and efficient access to government services.

Randall Wendling: The function of the Commission is to perform such duties as prescribed by law/state statute.Included duties as found in Wyoming Statute include but not limited to are: approving the budget; care and maintenance of county roads/bridges; manage the courthouse and all other county buildings; establish/approve planning and zoning regulations; act as a “cooperator” with the federal government; maintain a role with county emergency procedures; and, exercise other powers as provided by law. Again, being certain the resources are serving the people, not the people serving the resources.

HAS THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT?

Roy Lloyd: Due to the complexity of the County government, I believe continuing with a 5 person elected Commission allows the commission to efficiently manage the vast nature of the county in an effective manner. I do believe if there continues to be a 5 person commission I would like to see the seats be based upon areas and districts to better distribute and represent Sweetwater County as a whole. From talking to members of the community, I think it is a deeper issue than the number of commissioners; the concern is how the Commission leads and works with the entities of the county and the community at large. A fresh perspective and an ability to stand strong for the needs of the county in a dignified, open-minded and professional manner creates a successful commission no matter if it is a 3 or 5 member commission.

Reid West: I believe so. I came on the commission when it went from 3 to 5, so perhaps I’m biased. With three, two of them can’t even confer without violating the open meetings act. In addition, the workload is spread out, enabling us to attend more board meetings as liaisons, follow up on issues, and generally be better informed. Adding two more voices of reason makes for overall better decision making.

Joe Barbuto: When this issue was on the ballot, I voted no. At the time, I felt that we should be going to a district-based system that ensured representation from across the county if we were going to increase the number of commissioners. That being said, the increase has had some positive results; more perspectives and backgrounds lead to a more robust discussion and delegating duties means that individual commissioners can spend more time on their liaison assignments and special projects.

Randall Wendling: I have only experienced a five member board. I believe a three member board would limit and narrow the representation of the diverse population in Sweetwater County. Simply put, “five individuals working to govern and solving issues is better than three.”

Jeffrey Smith: I believe that having a variety of experience, expertise, and view points is important.  I’ve found in my professional career you don’t want to surround yourself with people who see the world just as you do.  If you do, you will get a lot of agreement with your ideas and not a lot of growth.  Certainly I have my strengths and weaknesses but hopefully there are another commissioners who can compensate for my weakness with their strength.

WHAT IS THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE FACING SWEETWATER COUNTY IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

Reid West: A tie between water; and renewable energy displacing coal fired power. While Lake Powell and Lake Mead may seem like a long way from Sweetwater County, they are dangerously low. The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people. If a call on the river is made, upstream storage in Lake Flaming Gorge and even Fontenelle may be released. Can you imagine Flaming Gorge at 50%? The possibility is real. In addition there are multiple entities looking at tapping water from the Green River and transporting it out of the basin. I strongly oppose any intra-state or interstate diversion of water from the Green or Flaming Gorge. Wind, solar, and natural gas continue to displace coal fired power, partly because of tax breaks, and partly because of stringent emission standards. Our country has many workers employed in coal mining coal power. To the extent natural gas is used, we obviously have those natural resources and infrastructure in place. But we will need to be open to other industries and technologies filling the gap, should the trend continue.

Joe Barbuto: Without a doubt, economic development and diversification. Changes in energy markets and demand have already had an impact on our revenues. We know that more changes are coming. Let’s start preparing now by developing a plan, in cooperation with municipalities, that assesses our opportunities and shortfalls, and creates an economic development plan based on our own terms. Commissioners can and should lead that effort.

Randall Wendling: For the next five years and into the future, the most critical issue facing Sweetwater County, is to continue providing the exceptional services our county residents are deserving of. With an up swing in our economy, there are ongoing infrastructure improvements necessary to support our present diverse economy and embrace the preparation to attract new industries and provide the skilled work force to meet these expanding challenges.

Jeffrey Smith: There are many pressing issues facing the county.  If you ask five people what is most important to them I’m guessing you’ll get five different opinions.  I would say that THE most pressing issue in which the public has the greatest influence is the election on November 6th.  Selecting three people to represent them and to take the county in the direction they want to see is as important as anything.  Make sure your voice is heard on Tuesday.  I would appreciate your vote, but no matter who you vote for, do make sure you vote.

Roy Lloyd: There are many potential issues that face the county: Land issues, maintaining an effective and efficient balanced budget, continued advances in the areas of technology to increase efficiencies, county services, potentially providing savings in the budget and protecting our local waters (to name a few).

The backbone to work through many of these issues is based upon utilizing a collaborative, systematic research based approach and a willingness to think outside of the box to diversify the County budget. Diversifying the County economy will decrease the negative impact of the “boom and bust” cycle we currently face while proportionately increasing the quality of life for the citizens of Sweetwater County.