Street repairs remain a top concern for residents, councilmembers, and the street department, according to Kemmerer City Councilman Brantly Popp. Addressing the frustrations surrounding the lack of progress in repairing the city’s deteriorating roads, he said, “There has been a lot of finger pointing and blame placed on the streets department, but that is not the root cause of the issue.”

Popp explained that the problem has been accumulating for years, leaving the roads in poor condition.

“We now are feeling it because these roads are in terrible condition; there are potholes developing everywhere,” he said. “They crumble, we try to fill the holes — the pothole filling does not work anymore.”

Popp emphasized that the problem is not the fault of any single person or department, but rather a financial issue and explained that, while the city currently has around $2 million, the estimated cost to properly repair Canyon Road alone is approximately $10 million.

“How do you pull a $10 million dollar repair out of $2 million dollars?” he asked.

To illustrate the city’s predicament, Popp referenced “The Dead Horse Theory,” which suggests that, instead of acknowledging a fundamental problem, people often attempt ineffective solutions.

“This happens a lot in government, and [it] happens a lot in companies, as well,” he said. “We are facing this a lot in the city of Kemmerer.” He said shifting funds and filling potholes is merely a temporary fix.

“Have we fallen victim of a dead horse society?” Popp wondered. He pointed out that many of the streets in town are beyond repair and require more than just patchwork solutions.

“The department is only as good as the funding they get. You can’t blame a department if they don’t have the equipment to do the job properly,” he said.

Popp stressed the need to address the city’s financial shortfalls and proposed a long-term solution: growth and development.

“We need people,” he said. “That is why we need to bring in development. We need these things. Without money coming into the economy, the businesses fail because we don’t have the population to support it, and the tax dollars go down.”

With the city’s tax revenue coming primarily from sales tax from local businesses, Popp underlined the importance of economic growth. He cited projects like the Gateway PUD as critical to increasing revenue.

While acknowledging that the city could reallocate funds, he stressed that the primary responsibilities of a municipality are infrastructure and public safety.

“Everything outside of that is an extra,” he said. “If you have a situation where you don’t have a lot of money, and you are going without those basic needs of infrastructure and public safety, you are going to have to make some cuts. At some point, you are going to have to give up something you don’t want to give up.”

“Big sacrifices are going to have to be made,” he said, noting that the city spends more than $100,000 annually on the golf course and swimming pool. While he acknowledged these amenities are nice to have, he questioned their necessity.

“How many times do you visit that swimming pool versus how many times you drive these streets?” he said.

Popp revealed that last year, the city spent money to open the swimming pool, which ultimately did not generate revenue.

“We do not have the population to support it,” he said. “The city operates both the pool and the golf course at a loss every year.”

He said funds could be redirected to more pressing needs, though he recognized that conversations about cutting luxuries are difficult.

“We, as a community, need to come together and focus on what is important to us,” he said, posing the question: “Is it more important to have streets that are not in disrepair, or is it more important to have a swimming pool that you use six weeks out of a 52-week year?”

Popp was candid with the Gazette about the city’s financial struggles.

“I understand that these fun additions would be great for the community,” he said, “but, right now, the city of Kemmerer is facing financial challenges. Our focus needs to be on strengthening our core resources and rebuilding our financial stability.

He said his top priority as a councilman is to generate more revenue for the city, focusing on transparency and growth while seeking community support. He emphasized that the new council, in office for only about two months now, is prioritizing infrastructure. With winter coming to an end, street repairs will commence in the spring and summer, though he acknowledged that fixing the roads is a long-term challenge.

“In order to repair this the right way, we have to start small,” he said.

Popp urged the community to get involved, stressing the importance of collective effort.

“We are all in this together,” he said, encouraging residents to provide feedback and participate in discussions about the city’s future.