• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

WyoFile

Indepth News about Wyoming People, Places & Policy. Wyoming news.

  • Latest News
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Legislature
    • Native America
    • Natural Resources
    • People
    • Photo Friday
    • Places
    • Policy
  • Voices
    • Drake’s Take
    • Madden’s Measure
    • Guest Column
    • Studio Wyoming Review
  • Supporters
    • Membership
    • Underwriting
    • Foundations
  • COVID-19
  • Latest News
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Legislature
    • Native America
    • Natural Resources
    • People
    • Photo Friday
    • Places
    • Policy
  • Voices
    • Drake’s Take
    • Madden’s Measure
    • Guest Column
    • Studio Wyoming Review
  • Supporters
    • Membership
    • Underwriting
    • Foundations
  • COVID-19

‘All on the same team’: Lawmakers eye AG help on bankruptcies

‘All on the same team’: Lawmakers eye AG help on bankruptcies

Campbell County Commission Chairman Rusty Bell and Campbell County Administrative Director Carol Seeger at a meeting of the Select Coal/Mineral Bankruptcy Committee in Cheyenne last week. The two officials have found themselves mired in bankrutpcies with millions of tax dollars at stake, but have received little help from state officials, WyoFile has reported. (Andrew Graham/WyoFile)

December 17, 2019 by Andrew Graham Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share46
Pin
Email
46 Shares
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Lawmakers on the Select Coal/Mineral Bankruptcy committee have advanced a bill to give the Wyoming Attorney General’s office the authority to represent counties in pursuit of state taxes during energy company bankruptcies. 

The draft bill came after a representative of the AG’s office told the committee his office didn’t currently have the authority to enter the cases and that such involvement could be ill-advised.  

That prompted lawmakers to pass a motion for a draft bill that would give the AG clear authority to represent counties in bankruptcy court. Though it would not necessitate the AG’s involvement, under the measure the agency could no longer say it didn’t have the authority. 

“They’re not required or obligated but at least we don’t have to hear that answer again,” Senate Minority Floor Leader Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie) said. “I’d settle for that as a good start.”

Senate Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie). (Andrew Graham/WyoFile)

County attorneys and commissioners have noted throughout the course of recent bankruptcies that they’ve gotten little help from the state. Campbell County in particular sought state help at several key inflection points over the years, only to be rebuffed by the executive branch. 

Even with the Legislature’s sudden attention to the issue, the AG’s office has continued to resist working with county attorneys. Deputy Attorney General James Kaste wrote a three-page memo in response to previous committee questions stating his office did not have the authority to work for counties in most bankruptcies and did not see any great benefit in changing statute to give them that authority. 

“This letter is very disappointing to the counties,” Johnson County Commissioner Bill Novotny told the lawmakers. “We don’t feel the attorney general’s office has the back of the counties.” 

The state of Wyoming filing court claims alongside counties can add far more weight to tax collections efforts in the eyes of the judge, Novotny and other county officials present said. 

The bigger issue for Wyoming counties, however, is actually the structuring of statute that governs the tax claim, Kaste wrote in the letter. The involvement of the state in bankruptcy proceedings won’t change matters, he argued. The committee is working on other efforts to lessen the risks to mineral ad valorem taxes from bankruptcies. 

“The priority of any claim filed by a Wyoming county in bankruptcy and, thus, the probability of recovery on the claim, will not change based on whether the Attorney General’s Office or the county attorney pursues the claim,” Kaste wrote.

“Moreover, regardless of who pursues the county’s claim, the cost to employ local bankruptcy counsel in the jurisdiction where the case has been filed will be the same,” Kaste said. “Thus, neither the results nor the costs are likely to change if the Attorney General were to pursue bankruptcy claims on behalf of the counties.”

Johnson County Commission Chairman Bill Novotny (Johnson County website)

Officials from Campbell County have spent more than $1 million on outside legal counsel and spent time and energy pursuing tax debts into the high-level legal quagmire of bankruptcy courts. They’ve done so in pursuit of ad valorem taxes that are collected at the county level but mostly go to fund statewide public education, commission chairman Rusty Bell told lawmakers. Ultimately, Campbell and other counties have ended up negotiating tax payments with bankrupt companies or companies buying mineral properties out of bankruptcy. 

“Our thought was that we are all on the same team,” Bell said. “For the most part most of our tax is your tax so I don’t see why we shouldn’t be as much on the same team as we could be.”

Though the counties are reimbursed for the money they spend on legal counsel, that money comes from the back taxes collected. But once it’s spent on counsel, that money that is no longer available for public schools statewide. Lawmakers considered creating a new position within the AG’s office for an attorney with bankruptcy court expertise, but did not take action on that idea. 

In an email Monday morning, AG Bridget Hill said she welcomed the statute change. “I welcome the Legislature’s efforts to find solutions that will address the detrimental impacts of coal company bankruptcies on the state, the counties, and the employees of these companies,” Hill wrote. 

Support WyoFile reporting with a tax-deductible donation today

During the Blackjewel bankruptcy, her office was engaged in negotiations with the companies to collect unpaid taxes, she wrote. “My office will continue to consult and cooperate with counties facing these difficult issues,” she wrote. 

 


Popular Articles:


Lawmakers defied mask orders at session kick-off in Capitol


State Capitol locked down as D.C. delegation condemns riots


Lawmakers derail trapping regulations against Wyo’s best interest


Filed Under: Economy, energy, Featured, Legislature, Natural Resources, Policy

Andrew Graham

About Andrew Graham

Andrew Graham reports for WyoFile from Laramie. He covers state government, criminal justice and the economy. Reach him at 443-848-8756 or at [email protected]; follow him @AndrewGraham88.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to join the discussion? Fantastic, here are the ground rules:
- Identify yourself with full name and city. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish and expects commenters to do the same.
- No personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats. Keep it clean, civil and on topic.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Tweets by @WyoFile

Search WyoFile

Become an Underwriter
Sign Up for Free Weekly Newsletters

Recent Comments

  • Robert Nickens on Dire outlook for bees raises possibility of listing
  • Beau Hill on Cheney’s ‘vote of conscience’ deserves respect
  • Harvey Reading on Lawmakers defied mask orders at session kick-off in Capitol
  • Travis Samulski on Lawmakers defied mask orders at session kick-off in Capitol
  • Terry Solon on Oil and gas industry doesn’t need another handout

Footer

Recent Posts By Date

January 2021
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Dec    

From The Archives

  • About Us
  • People
  • Careers
  • Freelancing
  • Underwriting
  • How to Republish
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 by WyoFile