Lovell Council approves Haney as new chief

Lovell Council approves Haney as new chief

By David Peck

New Lovell Chief of Police Roger Haney was appointed, approved and sworn in before a room full of friends and family members at the Lovell Town Council regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Mayor Tom Newman began the meeting by officially swearing in Haney, a multi-year veteran of the force, noting that it was a special day all the way around, with the dedication of the new Lovell Police Dept. building at 142 East Third, with the Lovell Police Department staff also celebrating National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

“It’s a good day,” Newman said. “It’s always bittersweet when there’s a change, but I appreciate your efforts and the other officers and dispatchers. We appreciate all of you, each and every one of you, and are proud of you.”

The council voted unanimously with councilman Ray Messamer absent to approve Haney as the chief of police, taking over for Chief Dan Laffin, who has been at the helm of the LPD since 2017.

Haney took his oath of office from Mayor Newman, and Newman presented Haney with his new badge. Partner Tiffany Wilkerson participated in the ceremony by affixing chief’s stars on his collar.

As the first meeting of the year, the agenda included the financial declarations of interest for the mayor, council and town officials and the declaration of the official depositories for town funds: Bank of Lovell, Big Horn Federal, First Bank and WyoSTAR state investment pool.

The Lovell Chronicle was approved as the official newspaper of the Town of Lovell.

Don Richards, who represents the Town of Lovell on the Shoshone Municipal Pipeline Joint Powers Board, gave the council a detailed report about the recent activities of the board. Richards thanked the town for sponsoring a State Loan and Investment Board grant for the pipeline in the amount of $4,012,000 for new valves at the SMP water treatment plant near the Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

More than once, Richards emphasized that, as the sponsor of the grant, the Town of Lovell takes on no liability for the funds, adding, “Everyone on the board is happy for you backing us (on the project). You guys made it work.”

Though the project is entitled a “filter and valve replacement project,” Richards said it’s looking like the filters are in good shape and will not need to be replaced in this project.

Richards pointed out that the pipeline has only passed along two rate increases to customers in 30 years of operations.

Town of Lovell Public Works Director Adrin Mayes also gave a report to the council about the activities of his crew. He said the staff recently used a new device that listens for leaks in the town water system, checking all valves and fire hydrants in the system. The crew found one leak in a hydrant, and since there appears to be no infrastructure worries, the repair project can wait until warmer weather, Mayes said. He added that the leak is deep underground and that the town will have to “hire out” the repair work.

Mayes also noted that the town recently completed another portion of a crack sealing project on town streets, adding that the crack sealing is best done when it’s cold, since that’s when the cracks in asphalt are at their widest.

Mayes said the staff shut off the flow from the sewer lagoons to the river, which is done annually due to low water flow, and he said the crew is working on an EPA mandated survey of lead water lines in town, a process required of every municipality.

Water rate increase

The council passed on first reading a water rate increase for town customers, with town administrator Jed Nebel initially plugging in a $2 base rate increase and a $2 per 1,000 gallon usage increase just to get the process moving. Currently, he said, there is no true base rate set by the town, with $11 per month going straight to the Shoshone Municipal Pipeline, and the usage rate is $5.25 per 1,000 gallons for a typical ¾-inch line.

With some concerns expressed about the effect of the increase on people living on a fixed income, it was suggested that the council could start with a small increase, perhaps a $1 base rate and a $1 usage increase, then re-evaluate after one year.

The town is enacting the rate increase due to a recommendation by CPA James Seckman, who told the council following an audit last fall that the water fund was short in reserves.

The council approved the ordinance, 1,005, on first reading, with councilwoman Carol Miller opposed in support of those on fixed incomes, adding that the increase would be “hard on me.”

Mayor Newman said the increase needs to be aggressive enough to fix the reserves but gentle enough so as not to harm people, adding, “We have to do something.”

The current water and sewer project bonds, which have been on the monthly utility billing for years, will be paid up in 2032, Newman said, and drop off the water bills.

Council 

responsibilities

Department responsibilities for the mayor and council were listed during the meeting as follows: Miller, parks and beautification; Messamer, special projects; Dan Anderson, emergency management; Bob Mangus, streets, alleys and garbage; and Newman, police and fire.

In other action on January 9:

• Nebel announced that, after years of waiting, the town will soon receive a new garbage truck. The council voted to transfer $215,299 from the WyoSTAR account to the town checking account to pay for the truck itself, with the garbage hopper to follow.

• The council voted to allocate $61,843.52 in remaining ARPA funds to the general fund to cover overages on Phase I of the Armory Park project caused by high prices for materials in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The council voted to approve an easement just north of the berm at Great Western Park to allow for a truck turnaround for the Minchow’s Service bulk tanks. Minchow’s agreed to pay for the maintenance of the turnaround.

• Nebel reported that attorney Alexa Rolin is reviewing an MOU with Big Horn County to check septic tank systems within the town limits. He said there are very few septic systems in town.

• The council voted to turn over three delinquent customer accounts to collections because the customers are not responding to staff requests for payment. The council also voted to write off three uncollectable accounts because the account holders have passed away.

• The council agreed to purchase an ad in the annual Mustang Guide tourist publication, with Nebel noting that the publication is very well received.

• Nebel announced a pre-bid meeting for Phase II of the Armory Park project for Thursday, Jan. 11. There will be a special meeting on January 30 at noon to approve bid packets for the project. A work meeting was set for February 6 at noon.