WHEATLAND – Last week, a date was approved and set for residents in and around the Glendo area to vote whether a mill levy for the newly-formed Glendo EMS tax district should be approved.
The EMS district will be requesting the approval of approximately 450 property owners within its district to approve a mill levy to provide funds to operate the volunteer non-profit organization providing emergency medical services to the Glendo area. The election is set for May 6 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at Glendo town hall, with absentee ballots available for request by April 8.
Platte County sheriff David Russell communicated to commissioners at their meeting last week he has found another vendor for the CAD (computer aided dispatch) system for Platte County dispatch and all emergency responders. Russell said there are issues with the current vendor, Spillman, who are slow to respond to admin requests, and other issues. A vendor fairly new in the market, based in New York, is offering to service Platte County’s CAD needs for approximately the same cost as their current vendor.
Russell said, though the company hasn’t been in business long, it has thus far had a good reputation among users of its product and has agreed to waive startup fees for the county, plus to reduce fees for the towns of Guernsey and Wheatland for their portion of setting up a new CAD system.
CAD is used any time a call comes into the 911 dispatch center in Platte County, communicating critical information to emergency responders and keeping track of department calls.

Platte County Sheriff’s deputies who have been with the agency over three years have been experimenting with the program, Russell said, and so far, it is basically the same as the current vendor uses. But, rather than clicking three or four separate tabs, the trial CAD system uses only one. The data storage will also be completely on the company’s cloud server and the cost included in the contract fee. The county currently has its own servers and must pay for service from Spillman for any tech issues which are beyond the scope of the county’s Information Technology provider.
Additionally, sheriff Russell will be working with the potential CAD provider to create a customized CAD system for Platte County, so he anticipates minimal issues with the system.
After a questioning session by commissioners, it was agreed this may be a good direction for the county after the current CAD contract runs out in July, pending approval from the towns of Guernsey and Wheatland for their portion of the cost of service. The cost to the county will remain the same or a little cheaper than currently, and the cost to the Town of Wheatland will be the same. The only thing commissioners see as a negative is Guernsey will be increasing their cost by $3,000.
If the towns agree, the proposed cost for the new CAD system will be $7,000 for Guernsey, $10,000 for Wheatland, and $45,000 for the county for a total cost of $62,000 for the next fiscal year and a three-percent increase per annum over the next five years.
In other business at the commissioner’s meeting, the board approved a request for a simple subdivision by Robert and Rebecca Hilty to separate four parcels out of a 58.79-acre parcel west of Wheatland.
In his maintenance report to commissioners, maintenance department supervisor Jim DeWitt said retrofitting of the detention center’s pods to resolve plumbing issues have been completed, which include limiting the flushing capabilities of inmate toilets and sinks. He is still working on pinpointing any variances in the detention center’s plumbing blueprints and actual location of the pipes, so final changes can be made to prevent flooding into the detention center basement, which has been a concern in the past.
The department is also working on heater and maintenance requests at the courthouse.
Before adjourning, commissioners also listened to a sales pitch from Will Arthur of Nestled Insurance Agency about a form of employee health insurance plan utilizing pre-tax methods of payment, with the potential to add to the county’s budget financially. No decision or recommendation by commissioners was made, stating they would inquire into the legal and other impacts the attentive preventative care management program could have on the county and its employees, if the county should agree to adopt such a plan.
The county commissioners meet every first and third Tuesday of the month, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Platte County courthouse. The meeting is also broadcast live on Zoom. For more information on how to view the meeting, go to the county’s website at www.plattecountywyoming.com.