The Campbell County Commission has instructed county employees to begin investigating what it would take to withdraw Gillette College from the Northern Wyoming Community College District.

“I want everyone to be perfectly clear: This is not going to be easy,” Commissioner Rusty Bell said to a packed commissioner chambers Monday afternoon. “We have to tax ourselves. There are some options on how that works, but that will have to happen. And this doesn’t come at the hands of a few donors here and there. It has to be a community-wide effort.”

The discussion comes in the wake of the NWCCD cutting all athletics at both Gillette and Sheridan colleges — except for rodeo — as part of an overall budget reduction of about $4 million. The coaches and players learned of the move on the morning of June 25, with many caught off guard. Coaches are out of jobs and student-athletes are left without programs to play in after much of the critical spring recruiting season has passed.

Bell laid out two options where Campbell County could have more control over what happens at Gillette College: become incorporated into the Northern Wyoming Community College District or create its own special district.

To do either would likely require raising the county’s mill levy, which is used to assess property taxes.

“What is the mill level that people can accept?” he asked. “I really don’t know what that is.”

Before any potential college vote gets anywhere near a ballot box, the county needs to create and submit an application to the Wyoming Community College Commission.

“It means we can start the process at some point,” Bell said, before adding that it would not go to voters this year. “The timeline doesn’t allow for that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start the process. It’s time for us to start thinking about our own district.”

Commissioners are sending a letter to college district leaders saying the elimination of the sports pograms is “devastating” to the local community.

“Making such a decision without consultation with anyone in the community is both disappointing and concerning,” the letter says.

Gillette College Vice President Janell Oberlander told commissioners that “we knew this was gong to be deep, and painful for our community.”

“Nonetheless, we had to move forward,” she said. “These are unprecedented financial times and it calls for unprecedented reactions and unprecedented actions.”

Former head men’s basketball coach Shawn Neary said the decision has an impact far beyond the athletics programs.

Without sports, he asked, what will happen to other aspects of campus life such as the dorms, cafeteria and classrooms? Will students and local residents who work there keep their jobs when the Pronghorn Center, dorms or cafeteria aren’t used as much?

“What they’re trying to do to us is going to take down Gillette College, period,” Neary said.

Some student-athletes have said they’ve already been contacted by other schools to play there.

Isaac Mushily, who was a guard and forward for the Pronghorns as a freshman in 2019-20, has received offers but decided to “wait-and-see.” If the program in Gillette is reinstated somehow, “I’m definitely staying in Gillette,” he said.

Bell said it would cost about $532,000 to allow sports to come back in 2020-21.

Some have offered to donate toward that, including the Pronghorns booster club, which is willing to chip in all of its savings, about $180,000.

Liz Lewis, former women’s basketball coach, said she’s willing to work on a small budget to be able to keep sports at the school. She had only been the coach for one season, but finished as the No. 21 ranked junior college in the nation and expected to bring back a loaded squad next season.

Darla Cotton, Campbell County Parks and Recreation Information Technology specialist, suggested people travel to Sheridan College to attend Wednesday night’s board meeting.

“If you guys don’t think that this college is not on the chopping block for the next round of cuts, you’re all crazy because that’s exactly where this is heading,” Cotton said.