Questions about fencing policy brought to commission

Big Horn County’s fence policy was a point of discussion at the commission’s Aug. 19 meeting. 

John and Sylvia Gams addressed the commissioners regarding fences on their Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lease for Sandhills. John told the commission he bought the permit for that portion in 1972. At that time, Road 5 was a gravel road without much activity. In the mid 1970s when schools in that area consolidated, there was a lot of student traffic from Deaver, Frannie and Cowley going to Byron. 

Charlie Monk was a Big Horn County commissioner at the time. “He decided to fence it to keep the cows off it because of the students running that road. So, they put in a fence,” said John Gams. 

Commissioner Bruce Jolley asked for clarification of who put in the fence. Gams responded that the county did. Gams said he was opposed to it at that time because it concentrated his cattle into two spots. Four or five years ago, the county put in a big pipe that allowed for the cattle to go under the road. “That was a plus,” he said. However, the pipe is starting to show some wear and tear. 

Now there are some spots on the fence line that need attention, said Gams. He checked with north end Road & Bridge supervisor Eric Mann about the repairs. Mann told him the policy is that the county does not maintain fences. The County’s Road and Address Management Policy (RAMP) was adopted in 2020. The policy about fences was put in prior to the adoption of the RAMP.   

Gams questioned whether this case might be an exception since the county is the one that put those fences up (along the county road) and the land is owned by BLM. Commissioner Bruce Jolley asked Gams about the fences on the BLM portion. Gams said when he entered the lease, BLM furnished the materials and he provided the labor. 

County engineer Willie Bridges explained to the commission that Gams had requested that Mann maintain and fix the fence along the county road. Gams said some of his cows are getting out. He has put up some barriers but stated that since the road had been paved the traffic has increased, including a lot of truck traffic. He believes the county should be concerned about safety on the road. 

He added that GPS is directing traffic down that road plus some local drivers are taking the county road rather than U.S. Highway 310/Wyoming Highway 789. He speculated part of the reason was to avoid getting speeding tickets. (Mann later explained that the road is the shortest way to Billings, and this is one of the reasons it is well used.) 

Gams also said the county road was not built for heavy truck traffic. They are no signs that indicate a weight limit. Bridges said the oil tanker truck traffic has increased so the county needs to revisit putting up signs. Mann said there are four to five oil field trucks on the road every day. 

Commission Chair Deb Craft told the Gams the county would investigate and get back to them. 

In other road and bridge/engineering news:

• A right of way permit was approved for an approach off Road 12 1/2. 

• The engineering department is working on a Mineral Royalty Grant for the Red Gluch bridge replacement. 

• Bridges discussed an email from Northwest Rural Water District regarding a proposed simple subdivision on Road 11. The email was in response to a notice sent out asking for comments on the subdivision.  The commission discussed the comments and decided to invite the district to come to a commission meeting to discuss them further. As a side note, Bridges mentioned the rules and regulations in Big Horn and Park counties are nearly identical. He added that Park County is more stringent when it comes to reclamation.