PINEDALE – Summer means budget season for local governments. Ten local organizations made final proposals to receive funds from the town council on June 14.

The town enters into a contract with organizations each year that provide beneficial services to residents in Pinedale, Mayor Matt Murdock explained. The contracts are meant to improve the quality of life in Pinedale and offer additional amenities beyond the basics like water, sewer and road maintenance, Murdock added.

The amount requested for the 2021-2022 fiscal year totaled $107,725, approximately 4 percent of the town’s general budget.

The council did not take action on the proposals at its meeting on June 14. Councilmembers will vote on the town’s 2021-2022 fiscal year budget, including contracts for services, on third and final reading at a special meeting at the Pinedale Library on Friday, June 18, at 3 p.m.

The Sublette County Chamber of Commerce requested money to fund programs that attract businesses to Pinedale, said executive director Darren Hull. The chamber’s mission is to foster a competitive and stable economy not dependent on the energy industry, Hull added.

The Children’s Discovery Center and the Children’s Learning Center both requested smaller amounts than last year. Kalie Miles, an early childhood educator with the Children’s Discovery Center, reported that the agency provided 20,000 meals to children the last fiscal year. The Discovery Center also added an additional toddler class.

Becky Gregory, director at the Children’s Learning Center, stated that while enrollment dropped last year due to COVID-19, pre-enrollment for the coming school year was up. The agency was hit by a 22-percent cut from the state and Gregory said that her staff made sacrifices, including salary cuts, to keep the facility operating.

Main Street Pinedale requested an additional $3,000 for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Program manager Crystal Thompson explained that the increase was primarily to compensate for a drop in numbers at Rendezvous last summer, a consequence of COVID-19.

Thompson also noted the 2021 Winter Carnival’s success, and said Pinedale was now a “skijoring destination.”

MESA Therapeutic Horsemanship asked for the same level of funding it received last year. Board member Teresa Sandner stated that despite COVID-19, MESA “did not miss a beat” in providing programs to 18 young people, including 11 from Pinedale.

MESA intended to use the funds for promotion, equipment and expanded summer day camps and riding opportunities for older children, Sandner explained.

The Pinedale Aquatic Center sought a $2,500 increase in its contract for services to compensate for a requested decrease in the same amount last year.

COVID-19 hit the facility hard, director Amber Anderson said. The PAC eliminated free youth memberships after receiving feedback from members that if rates were to rise, the increase needed to be across the board, Anderson added.

The PAC worked with the nonprofit Friends of the PAC to offer scholarships to eligible children, Anderson reported.

Programs, including elementary school summer day camp and youth sports, would not be affected by the rate changes, Anderson added.

The Pinedale Preschool requested the same amount it received last year. Sandner, speaking as the organization’s executive director, stated that town funds went entirely toward the creation of scholarships for young children, Sandner said. The money allowed the center to provide tuition assistance for five community families, she added.

Rendezvous Pointe Executive Director Paul Jensen asked for the same amount of funding. Jensen reported that town funds were used to match grants from state agencies to provide transit, activities and home services to seniors in the community.

Robin Clover, director of the Sublette County Sexual Assault and Family Violence Task Force, said the organization experienced “extreme” cuts in funding. Federal COVID-19 relief money and a “generous community” helped make up the difference, Clover added.

SAFV’s contract for services represented a 25-percent reduction from last year, she said.

Michelle Costello, a board member for Bridges Out of Poverty, presented the organization’s first contract for services proposal. Costello told the council that the funds sought will be used to hire a part-time community resource officer. The community resource officer would help connect people with resources to combat poverty, Costello said.

Food vendor ordinance amendment

The town council approved Ordinance 686, related to food vendors, on first reading on June 14. The amendment as passed included limitations on how long food trucks or trailers may operate at a single site within town limits.

The amendment requires two additional readings.

Changes to the ordinance were based on staff recommendations and discussed by the town planning and zoning committee, said town attorney Ed Wood.

Mayor Murdock stressed that the amendments were not intended to prohibit food trucks in Pinedale. The primary issue was how long food trucks are allowed to remain in one spot.

Murdock asked the board to consider the ramifications to established “brick and mortar” establishments if food trucks are allowed to operate at one location on a permanent basis.

Brick and mortar restaurants are required to follow additional regulations and pay extra fees in order to get hooked up to the town’s sewer and water system, Murdock added. Food trucks do not have to go through the same hoops, making the situation unfair for brick and mortar establishments, he said.

Councilman Tyler Swafford raised the concern that additional regulations on food trucks might stifle the free market with an overemphasis on protecting certain businesses.

The council resolved to consider and discuss the issue during the ordinance’s second and third readings at upcoming council meetings.