Johnson County Year-in-Review 2023: May to August

Today we look back at Johnson County’s top stories during the last year as we focus on May through August of 2023.

Citizens concerned over the announcement that the Buffalo City Council was reducing this year’s amount of funding to the St. Francis Animal Shelter came to a regular meeting in May to talk about the issue.

The council was considering reducing their contribution to the shelter from $18,000 to just $4,000, prompting the shelter board to consider reducing services and cutting back their hours of operation.

Memorial Day services in Buffalo honored U.S. Marine Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, who was one of five U.S. Marines killed during a training mission in 2022.

Ceremonies began with the Parade of Veterans to the Veterans Memorial Wall at the corner of Main and Fort Streets before moving to the bridge over Main Street for the Navy Mothers ceremony.

Ceremonies concluded at the cemetery with the Benediction, the Firing squad volley and the playing of “Taps.”

The Johnson County Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum was chosen one of eight winners for the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities.

The award has honored 182 institutions that demonstrated extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service.

Johnson County’s Commissioners in June voted to accept grant funding from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department to use toward the purchase of land on the north end of Lake DeSmet to build another public access point to the lake.

The access on the north end of the lake will have a boat ramp and a vault toilet, similar to what is currently available at the Monument access point.

A $125,000 legal settlement the county received from a landowner at the lake concerning a private boat ramp will be coupled with $175,000 from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department to purchase five acres of land on the north end of the lake for the new access.

In July the Johnson County Cemetery District Board accepted two resignations and then elected officers from their remaining board members.

Former Board President John Hansen and Vice-President David Moates submitted written resignations which were accepted by the remainder of the board.

The four remaining board members, Luke Goddard, Barb Mueller, Sheila Camino, and Liz Graves then elected Goddard as president, Graves as vice-president, and Camino as treasurer.

Buffalo’s City Council, at a meeting in August, voted to match funds already allocated by the Johnson County Commission for a new fire panel for the Bomber Mountain Civic Center.

The council approved $34,540, which is their contribution of the roughly $69,000 needed to upgrade the panel to make it compliant with the State Fire Marshal’s demand.

And that’s a look back on the top stories in Johnson County from May through August of 2023.