Albany County commissioners review routine agenda, proposed Paddocks levy plan

A 4-mill levy request for the Paddocks Improvement District was the clearest money item on Albany County commissioners’ May 4 agenda, because it could add $4 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed value if it is carried into the county’s annual levy-setting process.

The commissioners met at 9:30 a.m. in Courthouse Room 105 in Laramie with no public hearing scheduled. Instead, the agenda was loaded with the kind of administrative business that shapes how county services get paid for and tracked, from the April 21 regular meeting minutes to reports from the Albany County Tourism Board and Centennial Water and Sewer District.

The Paddocks request stood out because it was tied to the district’s proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget. The district’s current officers are Ethan Riegel, chairman; Michael Peck, secretary; and Justin Christenson, treasurer. Albany County sets mill levies each year on the first Monday in August, after taxing entities submit budget requests to county commissioners, so the Paddocks item was part of a decision chain that can affect property tax bills later this summer.

Library services were another visible piece of the agenda. Commissioners were set to receive Albany County Public Library Board of Directors materials that included March 24 and April 14 minutes, an April 28 agenda, a balance sheet as of March 31, 2026, a budget-versus-actual report covering July 2025 through March 2026, and March 2026 check and credit card registers. The library board lists Joe Horther, Rebecca Garcia, Deborah Miller, David Hardesty and Emily Stewart Vercoe as members, with Rachel Crocker serving as library director.

Public health and tax administration also stayed on the board’s radar. Monthly statements from Tracy Fletcher, the county treasurer, and Kim Maturi, the public health nurse manager, were both on the agenda for March 2026. The treasurer’s office collects and distributes taxes and registers vehicles, and Albany County says residents paying online face a 2.49% fee for debit or credit cards or a $1.50 fee for ACH or eCheck payments.

The rest of the packet showed how many county functions move together behind the scenes: a general fund revenue report for February 2026, an IRS payment for federal tax obligations in April, and Cigna payments for health insurance claims and administrative fees. Even without a headline vote, the meeting traced the flow of dollars through libraries, utilities, public health and special districts before the August levy deadline locks in what taxpayers will owe.