Gillette Wyoming Blog

Here’s the link: http://eadiv.state.wy.us/pop/POP_NEWSRLSE08.pdf

“Nearly 157,000 homeowners will get an average $256 per year exemption on their property taxes if a bill that received committee approval Tuesday passes the full Legislature next year.”

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This article was from 11-16-08 – Source: Jackson Hole Start Tribune

“At the same time, job growth continued at a healthy pace of 2.9 percent. In September, Wyoming added 8,700 jobs when compared to a year earlier.”

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Is it not amazing the transformation that Gillette undergoes every day? Out and about on my usual errands I hear a lot of groaning about a boring town with nothing to do for people of any age. I can remember several years ago saying the same mundane phrases. I can say that as years have passed I can see that Gillette does make the effort to entertain its population.   Entertainment is not the only area of Gillette to be subject to alteration.  Area businesses are frequently bursting from their buds and opening to our local sunshine.  We are also grieved to see area businesses shut their doors, and head for the hills. One windy afternoon you will be driving through town, irritated of course at the driver in front of you, noticing little change. Than BLAM it happens you are driving through town that very next day, irritated at the semi in front of you, and you look over at one of your all-too-often visited parts store and notice that it is done. Yes, done, packed-up, cleared-out, headed for the hills, EMPTY! Sure it is a bit of a bummer, and you wonder what happened, but lucky you Gillette is not that big you don’t hear all the local gossip about that empty building while you are out shopping for your weekly provisions. That is not near the end of the story however! With all the new roads that you are just now getting used to, you decided it is high time to start roaming the town. As you are out and about you noticed a most beloved childhood memory is destroyed. There in that empty field where you watched your brother wreck his bicycle trying to “jump it” you noticed there are not more “jumps” or weeds. Instead you see apartment buildings, parking lots, light poles and storage units. On the bright side the development will probably save future generations scraped knees, banged up noggins, and irregular shaped bicycle tires.  We are very fortunate that Gillette is transforming on a continual basis, it shows the sign of an economy not yet following the trend of our nation. We may be a little irritated at times at the changes, but rest-assured we are blessed to have to deal with such struggles. 

A new edition of the Wyoming Sales, Use, and Lodging Tax Revenue Report is now available electronically on the Economic Analysis Division’s website: http://eadiv.state.wy.us You can download the report and press release by using the following links:

http://eadiv.state.wy.us/s&utax/s&u.html

http://eadiv.state.wy.us/s&utax/newsrlse.pdf

http://eadiv.state.wy.us/s&utax/Report_FY08.pdf

According to CNN.com 41% of employees are always waiting for that next paycheck. It is sad to mention that some people view it perfectly normal to live paycheck to paycheck.  So what is so bad about living paycheck to paycheck anyways? First of all when does an expense or accident ever wait until payday? Next, the economy does not care when or if you are getting your next paycheck. It has been taught throughout several generations, as far back as the Egyptians, that saving for hard times was a basic survival skill.

 As Americans have we forgotten where we came from? Have we forgotten the struggles our forefathers and mothers had to do nothing better than to survive? We should have learned this lesson well enough, but as a society we have not. Yes, our society has challenges; we do not as a whole have simple lives. To suggest everyone start living in covered wagons would also be a bit farfetched, there is however simple things we can keep in mind.

 First, just because our neighbors have the newest, most expensive vehicles, does not mean that we can afford one! (When do you not see trendy vehicles in Gillette?) This concept does not just apply to cars; it includes many trendy and competition worthy aspects of life.  (Computers, clothing, jewelry.)

Second, even though everyone lives on debt (90%), we don’t have to! There is a sad (or I can say happy) 10% of Americans out there who do not worry about debt on a paycheck to paycheck, weekly, or even monthly basis. Would it be that horrible to have no debt? Although the numbers of people with too much debt is much less than those in debt, the idea of having none at all seems much more common sense.

 Finally, when a person keeps in mind future goals it helps to maintain a certain amount of perspective. Building that new mansion here in a few years is not going to be possible without some planning (budgeting), saving, and focus on that goal. Why plan on retiring when you are 55, if you aren’t saving enough money to retire until you are 80?

So what to do? According to Dave Ramsey, a financial counselor, a plan (budget) and $1000 in the bank is a great place to start. The next thing Ramsey suggests is that it is going to take some effort. Sure you have to create a few goals, yes you will have to come up with some kind of plan (budget), and sure you might have to sacrifice those lovely new fingernails, or that trendy new gas-friendly car, but the reward waiting at the finish line can truly be “Living the American Dream”.

 There may not be a day that goes by in the average American’s life that “ECONOMY” is not slapped in their face.  Every newspaper, news station, radio station, news site, and public gathering smells of some kind of economy issue. In fact if you Google the word economy right now this is what you would see,” Results 1 – 10 of about 284,000,000 for economy “.The top economy issues are so well trod that to mention them would be mundane.  So to look at things from a more positive perspective let us Google the word frugal, “Results 1 – 10 of about 11,600,000 for frugal “. Ok that is a little better. People of all walks of life are trying hundreds of different solutions to save a little green. In today’s “ECONOMY” (ouch) a person does not have to be a “tightwad” to practice some of the frugal tips offered today. Perhaps you do not want to know that there are 400 frugal uses for vinegar, or that there are a few of us still using cloth diapers.  Maybe you are not exactly interested in putting French fry grease in you gas tank, but I am confident that everyone can find something in our current economic state to help relieve some expense. However you choose to deal with America’s current ecological state remember that the first place to start is your own home. Who knows you may just like the idea of being a “tightwad”.

I’m curious to hear from people what kind of businesses you would like to see come in the Gillette area that could thrive here. Obviously with the current worker shortage, it is unlikely we will see any national retail stores setting up shop in town soon. But if we ever get affordable housing and people to move her to take these jobs we might end up with enough of a work force to attract some new businesses.

 There have been rumors in the past about Target, Chilis and other restaurants. Has anyone heard of anyplace that is planning on coming to town? What about retailers you would like to see? I for one would love to see a JcPenneys and a Target.

In yesterday’s news on the Gillette News Record, it was announced that Basin Electric got an air permit and was able to pull a loan for the development of the proposed development of the Dry Fork Station Coal Fired 385-Megawatt power plant. This will create about 75 permanent jobs and quite a few interm jobs during the construction phase. Read more about the article here: http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2007/10/18/news/news03.txt

I have a feeling that next spring is going to be a pretty big boom.