Jake Fulkerson

Although the Park County government is facing the prospect of some very lean years, Commissioner Jake Fulkerson says he’s ready to roll up his sleeves and continue to work.

Fulkerson announced last week that he will seek a second — and final — four-year term as a county commissioner.

“Based on what I’ve accomplished the first term, I’m excited,” said Fulkerson, 61. “I’m excited to do it again; I really am.”

The Cody Republican says he’s worked hard, encouraged a sense of teamwork among commissioners, county staff and the public, given the county a voice on state and national issues and developed a deep knowledge of the county budget.

The budget, Fulkerson said, “is the big deal.”

He’s proud of the ways the county has looked for savings and efficiencies. For instance, commissioners instituted a “hard hiring freeze” that has eliminated a few positions — and “that’s just going to get more interesting,” he said. Commissioners and county staff have also pursued federal and state dollars whenever possible. Fulkerson pointed to work on the South Fork Road, where the county kicked in $2.36 million and the federal government more than $12 million.

“I still hear people say the county budget is bloated, and I really encourage those people to call me and let’s go over the budget,” he said. “If people see some excess, somewhere, they need to call me. You really need to hear from the people, because we are as lean as we can go.”

Fulkerson said the county will balance its budget no matter what, but “we’re going to have to consider new revenue streams if we want to maintain the quality of life.”

The best way to do that, he said, is to ask voters for a new, 1% sales tax in November’s general election. Fulkerson said it’s “a horrible time” to ask for a new tax, but without a boost in revenue, “the services from the county will not be the same next year as they were last year.”

Fulkerson hopes voters take a hard look at the tax increase.

Teton County officials are predicting a 39% drop in sales tax collections related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fulkerson said. Without a new tax, a similar drop in Park County would cost the county government around $1.6 million over the course of a year — and it was already facing a potential deficit. Meanwhile, the current crash in oil prices will mean a big revenue hit next year, unless things dramatically improve.

“There’s some pretty serious issues facing the county in the next four years,” Fulkerson said. He added in a statement that he has “the experience, perspective and skills to provide the consistent leadership Park County needs now more than ever.”

Fulkerson was elected to the Park County Commission in 2016 after serving eight years on the Cody school board. As for his work history, Fulkerson was in banking for 20 years — including time on Shoshone First Bank’s senior management team — and ran QM Appraisal from 2005 until 2019, when he sold the business. Fulkerson now works part-time, describing himself as “semi-retired with complete flexibility over my work hours” for commission business.

Fulkerson served as commission chairman in 2019 and is the board’s liaison to the Park County Library Board, the Park County drug court program and the Park County Health Coalition. He also serves on the board of the economic development group Forward Cody. At the state level, he served on a statewide task force that worked on a plan to replace Wyoming’s aging voting equipment and co-chaired a Wyoming County Commissioners Association committee on elections and land use.

Fulkerson said if he is re-elected to the commission in 2020, it will “definitely” be his last term.

“I’m just going to run one more time,” he said. “This is it.”

Fulkerson and his wife Marisa have two adult daughters and two grandchildren.