Editorial: County exemplifies wise spending

Perhaps the most notable allocation made by the commission was $1.2 million to Park County Road and Bridge to buy 150,000 tons of gravel for road maintenance. This is not a glamorous purchase, but it is one that will pay dividends for years to come.

After all, road maintenance is a constant need, and buying the gravel now will allow road and bridge to reduce its annual budget by as much as $300,000 a year for the next five years, county engineer Brian Edwards said. That’s money that can be allocated to other needs in the county, or saved for a rainy day.

We agree with commissioner Scott Steward who said, “This is probably exactly what these funds should be used for: future savings on ongoing needs.”

The commissioners also allocated dollars for a much-needed community center project in Meeteetse, and replaced outdated infrastructure and equipment. These are projects that address the county’s current needs, but won’t lead to additional investments in the future.

Allocating federal dollars to local projects can be something of a no-win scenario for local governments. There will always be some who question the projects funded through the dollars, and there will be others who wonder whether the federal funding should have been accepted in the first place.

But, from our point of view, the commissioners are taking their responsibility seriously and making choices that will benefit the county both now and in the future.

In late November, we opined that “the county needs to spend the windfall wisely and in a way that doesn’t create future financial burdens.” The commissioners seem to have taken that advice to heart, and we applaud them for that.

Stephen Dow