Associations necessary

Dear Editor,

Wyoming’s citizen legislature is one of the great strengths of our state. The fact that our lawmakers come from all walks of life—ranchers, small business owners, educators, healthcare professionals—is a testament to representative government at its best. But with that strength comes a challenge: it is simply not realistic to expect 93 part-time legislators to fully grasp the intricacies of every local issue across more than 100 communities—especially when hundreds of bills are introduced each session.

As the Mayor of Powell, I can tell you firsthand that our city council and staff work hard to keep up with the rapid pace and complexity of proposed legislation. But like many small cities across Wyoming, we operate with limited resources and staff. We rely on the support of organizations like the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) to help us stay informed, analyze proposed bills, and ensure our collective voice is heard in Cheyenne. This isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

That’s why I was deeply concerned by a bill introduced last session that aimed to limit or prohibit cities and counties from pooling their resources to work through organizations like WAM or the Wyoming County Commissioners Association. These groups serve as vital extensions of our local governments. They help us understand legislative language, track developments, and, most importantly, provide meaningful feedback to lawmakers on how proposals will impact communities like ours.

Just as we hire engineers or attorneys to help us review complex plans and contracts, it is reasonable and responsible to allocate funds for professional assistance on legislative matters. Denying cities and counties that ability doesn’t reduce spending—it just shifts the burden and increases costs. Instead of coordinated representation through trusted statewide associations, we’d see individual municipalities hiring their own staff to do the same work, multiplying expenses and creating unnecessary inefficiencies.

Wyoming’s Constitution protects the rights of groups—from agricultural associations to industry professionals—to participate in the legislative process. Local governments, acting on behalf of their residents, should not be the exception.

Efforts to restrict cities and counties from having a seat at the table are not just misguided—they’re harmful. They risk cutting off the flow of practical, local insight that is essential to crafting well-informed laws. And in the end, they do a disservice to the very communities we are all elected to serve.

Let’s not weaken a system that has long helped our cities and counties work collaboratively and constructively with the legislature. Let’s instead continue to strengthen the ties that make Wyoming government, at every level, responsive and effective.

Sincerely,
John Wetzel
Mayor, City of Powell