Deaver-Frannie Fire Department fundraiser Saturday

By David Peck
An event that is designed to be part fundraiser and part community gathering is set to take place this Saturday in Deaver.
The Deaver-Frannie Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a community dinner and silent auction to benefit the fire department.
The event will be held March 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Deaver Community Hall.
The primary fundraising aspect of the evening will be an extensive silent auction, and Fire Chief Nick Loftus said at least 30 items had been donated by Tuesday, and there will be more than 40 on hand by the auction on Saturday.
Loftus and fire district board members Coleen Wagner and Cherie Wambeke said key auction items include a Camp Chef grill, .50-caliber black powder rifle, .36-caliber black powder pistol, Heritage Rough Rider .22-caliber pistol, Yeti cooler, Montana Knife Company knife, 32-inch smart TV, automobile care products, beauty products, gift cards for local restaurants, a variety of tools and baked goods.
A smoked pork loin dinner with all the fixin’s and dessert cooked by chef Don Wenstrom and his fire department crew will be served for the price of a donation. Fire trucks will be parked outside for kids and community members to view. The event is also an opportunity to meet and greet the firemen. Loftus said there are currently nine full-time members of the department, as well as three reserves.
Loftus, the board members and Craig Sorenson, department public information officer and community liaison to the board, said they would like to thank all of the businesses and individuals who are donating items to the silent auction.
Short on funds
Fire Protection District No. 5 is experiencing a budget shortfall after Merit Energy, which has production in the Park County portion of the district, was found to be owed a $5.3 million tax refund due to an error by the Wyoming Department of Revenue. With money already dispersed to special districts and local government in five counties, the districts and state and local government are now required to repay the money.
Fire Production District No. 5 must replay just over $19,000.
 According to a story by CJ Baker in the Powell Tribune on February 20, the Wyoming State Board of Education ruled last spring that Merit should not have been required to pay sales tax on a large portion of the electricity the company consumed between early 2017 and early 2020.
Five county governments and 23 municipalities, plus special districts, must generate the refund.
Baker wrote that the required refunds can be traced to a state audit of Merit Energy’s financial records for February of 2017 through January of 2020. The Department of Energy initially determined that Merit owed some $648,950 in sales and use taxes for that time period, but after the company disputed the tax amount, the audit concluded that Merit actually owed some $295,700.
The fire district is just one of many districts and/or local governments having to pay a refund.
“We’re paying for the mistakes of the State of Wyoming,” Sorenson said. “We’re helping them get out of a bind.”
“A large part of our funding comes from Park County,” Wagner said, citing the tax revenue from the Frannie oil field northwest of Frannie formerly owned by Merit Energy and now owned by Vaquero Energy.
“We have been fiduciarily responsible, and we’ve set money aside over the years,” she continued.
Loftus said there could be more hits coming, with Merit’s action likely opening the door for other companies to dispute their tax assessment, as well.
Sorenson added that county governments will have to be very careful in how they distribute funds to their various special districts going forward, especially if there seems to be a large influx of money.
“Assessors have to be more involved with these special districts,” he said, adding that tax revenues are used exclusively for operations and reserves.
It’s not all doom and gloom, the four fire officials said, especially regarding Saturday’s fundraising event.
“This is a great opportunity to have a community gathering and fundraiser to support the fire department,” Wagner said.
“It’s a great opportunity to bring our community together,” Wambeke added.
Loftus said the fire district had held many fundraisers over the years, but the gatherings stopped during the COVID pandemic. Now people can get together and get to know the firemen, he said.