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Board of County Commissioners
Commissioner's (left to right) Rusty Bell, Don Ham, Del Shelstad, Bob Maul and Colleen Faber
Mission
To provide quality, efficient, and cost-effective services for all Campbell County residents through sound decision making and fiscal responsibility.
Duties:
The Campbell County Board of Commissioners is the executive, legislative and judicial governing body for Campbell County. The general powers and duties vested in the Board of Commissioners can be found in W.S. 18-3-504.
Budgeting
The Commissioners have the authority to approve the budget, and so are intimately involved in spending decisions. A keen understanding of the sources of revenue and expenditures of the county is an essential skill for a successful Commissioner. The budgeting procedure for counties is administered through the Uniform Municipal Fiscal Procedures Act ( W.S. 16-4-101 through 124).
County Roads
Commissioners are charged with the care and maintenance of county roads ( W.S. 24-1-104). Campbell County owns and maintains 911 miles of road (729 gravel & 182 paved).
County Buildings
Commissioners are required to manage the county courthouse, including circuit and district courts, and all county buildings and facilities, which include the Detention Center, Public Library System (Gillette & Wright), Rockpile Museum, Gillette-Campbell County Regional Airport, Children’s Developmental Services Center, Public Health, Road and Bridge Facility, Gillette and Wright Recreation Centers (Gillette and Wright), and the Rockpile Community Center.
Planning and Zoning
Commissioners are authorized to regulate and restrict the location and the use of buildings and structures and the use, condition of use or occupancy of lands for residence, recreation, agriculture, industry, commerce, public use and other purposes in the unincorporated area of the county. The purpose of planning and zoning is as stated in the statutes: “to promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of the county” ( W.S. 18-5-201 through 208).
Emergency Preparedness
County commissioners have an important role in homeland security/emergency management. The Wyoming Homeland Security Act and the Wyoming Emergency Response Act envision a leadership role for county commissioners in all aspects of homeland security emergencies and disasters regardless of whether the cause is natural, man-made or terrorism related. The current threats to national security and the creation of the Federal Homeland Security Agency have made the position an even more prominent issue for commissioners.
Federal Cooperating Agencies
Due the large amount of land owned by the federal government (including subsurface minerals), Campbell County is designated a “cooperator” with the federal government in land use planning and environmental assessment actions. The role is a federally granted position that Commissioners possess to be at the table in determining the management actions of federal lands within the borders of Campbell County. Campbell County Commissioners are national leaders in this role, and devote a significant amount of time to understanding and participating in these colossal efforts.
| Name: | Email: | Phone: | Term: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusty Bell | rusty.bell@campbellcountywy.gov | (307) 660-7412 | 2012-2022 |
Brief Biographical Sketch
Rusty was born and raised in Gillette, Wyoming. After graduating high school in 1992 from Campbell County High, he attended Jamestown College in Jamestown, North Dakota, where he received his BA in Biology in 1997. After graduation, he worked as a wildland firefighter in Chadron, Nebraska, then on the Zig Zag Hotshots at Mt. Hood, Oregon. In 1998, while in Oregon, he received an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology before moving back to Gillette in 2001.
In 2001, Rusty substitute taught and coached ninth-grade boys basketball at Sage Valley Jr. High before starting RB Services LLC, which manages the manufacturing of stock panels for the Coal Bed Methane industry in 2005. Rusty continued to not only coach ninth-grade boys basketball but also coached girls basketball in the summer for the Gillette Force Basketball.
In the summer of 2008, Rusty attended Second Nature School of Taxidermy and turned a hobby of taxidermy into a business. He is currently the owner of Rusty’s Taxidermy. Rusty’s Taxidermy provides full-service commercial and custom taxidermy for both foreign and domestic customers. When elected, he was the treasurer of the Wyoming Association of Taxidermy Artists, President of the Wyoming Sportsman’s Group, and chair-elect of the Business Advocacy Committee for Campbell County Chamber of Commerce. Rusty is a proud alum of the Leadership Wyoming program, Class of 2018.
In 2019 Rusty was appointed to the Governor’s Council for Impaired Driving. Currently, Rusty serves on the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) Executive Board, and chairs the WCCA’s Revenue Committee. Rusty was nominated to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners in 2017 and 2019.
Rusty and his wife Toni have been married 21 years and have two sons: Bowen, an eleventh-grade student at Campbell County High School, and Blake, an eighth-grade student at Twin Spruce Junior High. Their family hobbies include hunting, fishing, bow fishing, traveling, and boy scout.
| Name: | Email: | Phone: | Term: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleen Faber | colleen.faber@campbellcountywy.gov | (307) 682-7283 | 2021-2024 |
Brief Biographical Sketch
Colleen was born in Minnesota, moving to Rural Central Montana with her family when she was 8 years old. She graduated high school from the tiny town of Judith Gap, Montana, and went on to attend Montana State University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Agronomy with a Soil Science minor in 1990 and currently holds a professional soil science certification in the state of Wyoming. While at Montana State, she was a member of SPURS (Sophomore Women’s Honor Society with emphasis on community service and scholarship), Mortar Board (American National Honor Society for college seniors), and a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority. After graduation, she worked for the Natural Resource and Conservation Service as a soil scientist and conservationist. She married her husband Elgin in 1990 and resided at the family ranch in central Montana, where she was later involved full time in production agriculture (cattle, sheep, hay and crops).
Colleen and her family moved to Campbell County in 2004, when Elgin obtained a youth pastor position at a Gillette Cowboy Church. They continued their ranching operation, and Colleen obtained a job in the oil and gas industry with a focus on environmental and regulatory management. She remained in that role for 15 years, taking early retirement in December of 2019. While serving in the oil and gas industry, she became the oil and gas representative on the North East Wyoming Sage Grouse Working Group, Petroleum Association of Wyoming’s Reclamation Committee Chairman along with many speaking engagements at statewide events including the Western Governor’s Association Bio-security Working Lands Round-table, Wyoming Mining Natural Resource Foundation Invasive Plant Workshop and the University of Wyoming’s Reclamation Symposium. She participated in the American Petroleum Institute’s 2018 State of American Energy Luncheon in Washington, D.C., as well as their ad campaign for the industry. She is a 2018 Wyoming Women of Influence nominee in the Energy and Utility category.
Colleen and her husband Elgin have two grown children and one precious grand-daughter, all residing in Wyoming.
| Name: | Email: | Phone: | Term: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Maul | robert.maul@campbellcountywy.gov | (307) 682-7283 | 2019-2022 |
Brief Biographical Sketch
In 1968, after studying business management at Southern Colorado State University, Bob moved to Gillette, where he met his wife, Laura. Bob and Laura married a year later and began their life here. Bob owned and operated his own business, Bob’s Alignment from 1973-2001. Bob then worked for the Campbell County Joint Powers Fire Board as the Equipment Maintenance Supervisor before retiring in 2016. In addition to running a full-time business, Bob and Laura raised three daughters and a son.
Bob has lived a life committed to public service, volunteering with 4-H in a variety of capacities for 38 years. He has also served as a member of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Posse and Search and Rescue. Has been a Hunter’s Safety instructor since 1971, teaching many youths how to safely handle firearms while developing an appreciation for hunting. Bob was elected to the Campbell County Conservation District in 2012 and served until 2018 when he was elected as a Commissioner. As a Conservation District Trustee, Bob was tapped to serve on state and national conservation district boards, including the Plant Materials Board of Supervisors for the Bridger, Montana district and Vocational Tech Program Board. At the time of his election as a county commissioner, Bob was serving on eleven organizations or boards.
| Name: | Email: | Phone: | Term: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Shelstad | del.shelstad@campbellcountywy.gov | (307) 660-4414 | 2021-2024 |
Brief Biographical Sketch
Del is a third-generation native of Gillette. He attended Sunshine Bible Academy in Miller South Dakota from the 8th through 11th grade and graduated from Campbell County High School. Shortly thereafter, he married his high school sweetheart, Nichole. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army. Del identifies his time serving his country in the Army was the greatest experience of his life. After leaving the Army, he returned to Gillette to work in the family business, Dust Control Inc.
Del and Nichole have three children Brittany (34), Brandon (23), and Hailey (15). As foster parents for 17 years, Del and Nichole feel blessed to have had their lives positively impacted by so many children. In 2015 they started our second business in Gillette, The Range 307, an indoor shooting complex and gun store located on the same property as Dust Control Inc. Del served as the chairman of the Joint Powers Fire Board, and Nichole currently serves on the State Court Appointed Special Advocates board. Both have enjoyed their years of public service and look forward to continuing to serve their community.
| Name | Phone | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Hamm | don.hamm@campbellcountywy.gov | 307-682-6044 | ending 2022 |
Brief Biographical Sketch
Don Hamm is a Campbell County native, his great grandfather homesteaded in the county in 1916. In 1940 his Don’s grandfather bought the ranch where Don was born, raised and lives today with his wife Melody, daughter Lexi and her husband Paden Bauder. After graduating from Campbell County High School, Don went on to the University of Wyoming earning a bachelor’s degree in 1970 and his Master’s in Agricultural Economics in 1972. Before returning to the family ranch, Don’s experience led him to work for the State of Wyoming Department of Agriculture, the Conservation Service and Sheridan College, taking him to communities around the state before he landed back in Campbell County in 1979.
Don and Melody married in 1995 and raised their daughter Lexi on the family ranch. Lexi and Paden now live on the ranch and help with operations, she marks the 5th generation on the ranch Don’s grandfather started in 1940. Don’s service to served Campbell County is not new, he has served on Campbell County Public Land Board, Campbell County Health Care Foundation Board and on the board of directors for Wyoming Stockgrowers Association, in addition to helping with the county fair and different rodeo committees. Don has seen Gillette and Campbell County grow from dirt roads to the innovative community it is today.