Opinion ID: 2546361
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Wyoming Joint Powers Act

Text: [¶ 23] The landowners' position that the county's adoption of the Plan violated the Wyoming Joint Powers Act (WJPA) is straightforward. They contend that the Plan is a local land use plan under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 9-8-102(a)(ix) (LexisNexis 2003). [10] Local governments cooperating in the development of a local land use plan must do so in accordance with the WJPA. [11] Any cooperative agreement not complying with the WJPA is invalid. [12] Because the Plan was designated as a cooperative agreement among the county and the cities of Rock Springs and Green River, and because the Plan does not meet WJPA requirements, the landowners conclude that it is invalid. [¶ 24] This argument, too, must fail, for the simple reason that the county and the cities did not enter into a cooperative agreement subject to the WJPA. No matter how it may have been styled, the Plan adopted and readopted by the county in 1996 was a unilateral land use plan. The fact that the county made a failed attempt to enter into a common plan with the cities did not destroy its ability to adopt the Plan on its own. Further, the fact that the City of Green River subsequently adopted the Plan and began to enforce its provisions within its municipal boundaries did not automatically convert the Plan into a joint powers agreement under the WJPA.