The Town of Star Valley Ranch unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night that encourages the Lincoln County Commission to begin streaming county commission meetings. The resolution recommends the “Lincoln County Commission implement live streaming of its Commission meetings and make such recordings available to the public to ensure all residents of Lincoln County have the ability to observe and participate in the decision-making process of their government.”

Star Valley Ranch joins the towns of Alpine, Thayne and Afton, along with the Lincoln County Republican Party, who also passed similar resolutions in recent weeks.

Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson also expressed support for the commission to begin streaming meetings, saying “There is occasionally Sheriff’s Office business discussed, and the public would benefit from knowing what their elected officials are talking about. I have been asked many times why the meetings are not available now.”

Currently, commission meetings in Lincoln County are held in the county offices in Kemmerer, with a live video feed made available at the county office in Afton. However, a public video feed or a video recording of the meetings are available. The county is required to have audio recordings of commission meetings available.

The Lincoln County Commissioners did discuss the option of adding a live, public video stream to their meetings during the October 21 commission meeting. No action was taken as commissioners discussed various needs including rules and requirements, employee responsibilities with adding streaming and needed equipment. The commissioners instructed Chief of Staff Stephen Allen to report back in the upcoming November 18 Commission meeting with potential options to begin streaming.