Gillette Wraps the Year with a Clean Audit and a Stack of Projects on Deck

The original story by Raveena Devjee for County 17.

Gillette’s City Council closed out its final regular meeting of the year by signing off on something every city likes to hear: a clean financial audit — and then rolling straight into a long list of nuts-and-bolts items, from flood planning to zoning changes.

Council accepted the city’s audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, prepared by Bennett Weber & Hermstad LLP. Auditors issued an unmodified opinion, basically the accounting world’s version of “all good here.”

By the end of the fiscal year, Gillette’s total net position hit $767.5 million, up $28.6 million from the year before. Governmental activities rose $7.4 million, while business activities climbed $21.2 million.

The city’s total fund balance was reported at $114.5 million, an increase of $10.8 million. Included in that was $16.5 million held under the city’s cash reserves policy — about 150 days of the next year’s budget — plus $13.1 million set aside for signed capital project contracts. Auditors reported no material weaknesses, no major deficiencies and no compliance issues, and gave the finance team a shoutout for its long streak without findings.

On the infrastructure front, council accepted the final Donkey Creek flood study from WWC Engineering, a $250,000 effort paid for through a FEMA grant and 1% funds.

They also looked at a $48,000 professional services agreement with Dowell LLC for design work tied to the Wester Road retaining wall project.

Council accepted several completed jobs, too:

• Arlington Court drainage access improvements by Lackey Construction: $185,578.80;
• Heated vehicle storage roof restoration by Raisley Painting LLC: $243,760;
• A well maintenance agreement for wells M9 and M10 with Sergeant Drilling: $63,026 (Mayor Shay Lundvall authorized to sign).

A public hearing was held on the proposed transfer of student housing properties — condos and dorms — to the Gillette Community College District. The move has already been unanimously approved by county commissioners and is meant to support the college’s accreditation efforts. The properties were listed at about $37.5 million in the public notice.

The council didn’t take final action yet — that’s scheduled for the second meeting in January.

Council also worked through zoning items, including:

• A change for Lot 1 of Pronghorn Ranch Phase 3 from R4 multifamily to RR rural residential, to better match the neighboring Westridge subdivision.
• A first reading for a zoning change at 4500 Forest Road, a 44-acre undeveloped property, moving it from RS suburban residential and A agricultural to RR rural residential to set the stage for future rural residential development.

During reports, multiple councilmembers praised the police department’s leadership for reaching full staffing while keeping standards high, emphasizing public safety as job No. 1.

Councilmember Jim West also flagged concerns about homelessness in the school district and urged people to support the 1% tax, which helps fund nonprofits providing services.

Other updates included:

• A clean audit report for the Fire Board, with final policy updates expected in January;
• Reminders that wildfire risk is still high with dry, windy conditions;
• The Council of Community Services announced Christmas food baskets will be handed out Dec. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 612 B Sinclair St. (registration required).

This was the council’s last regular session of the year. The Jan. 6 meeting is expected to focus on formal appointments, while the second January meeting will tackle liaison assignments — and likely that student housing transfer vote.