The decisions made in Cheyenne over the next four weeks will have an impact locally and statewide over the next two years and beyond.

Starting Monday, the Legislature’s primary focus for this short budget session is to create a budget for the 2017-18 biennium.

Some very difficult decisions will be made, and it’s likely no one will leave the session happy.

But the good news is, by law, the state’s budget — unlike the federal government’s — must be balanced before the Legislature adjourns in early March.

Often, people feel their opinons don’t matter when it comes to the workings of state government. But that’s far from the truth. Local legislators have repeatedly stated that they value and consider their constituents’ opinions when voting on bills and making other decisions.

Now, thanks to the Legislature’s efforts to make access easier for those of us who don’t live close to Cheyenne, we can voice our opinions easier than ever. But before we do so, it is our responsibility to be informed about those issues rather than reaching knee-jerk decisions based on the hyperbole and fanaticism so often voiced through Facebook and other social media sites.

We encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with the economic issues and bills facing the Legislature this session, and we will do our best to keep our readers informed during the process.

Although Powell is 412 miles from Cheyenne — one of the farthest distances you can travel between two cities and still remain in Wyoming — local residents’ voices can still be heard.

In the past, local residents were fairly limited in ways they could voice their opinions and make comments about bills and hearings during sessions of the Wyoming Legislature. Likewise, progress reports were likely to be a day or two behind what was happening at the Capitol.

But in today’s world of telecommuting, that’s all changed. Powell still is located in the opposite corner of the state from Cheyenne, but getting legislative updates, reaching lawmakers or commenting on a bill now is as easy as visiting the Legislature’s website, www.wyoleg.gov, and clicking a computer mouse or touching a screen.

Of course, access to legislators still is available via telephone or letter for people who prefer those methods of contact.

For more information on how you can locate and contact your representative or senator, get bill status updates and comment on legislation, see “Keep in touch” on Page 7 of today’s Powell Tribune.

The 2016 Legislature will be historic in many ways. The most obvious is that, for the first time since 1888, the Legislature will not meet in the Wyoming Capitol Building.

The Capitol is closed for renovation for a few years as part of the $300 million Capitol Square Project, which will rehabilitate and restore the historic building, and expand and remodel the neighboring Herschler Building to accommodate state offices that will be displaced from the Capitol Building. That displacement will be a result of expanding legislative meeting rooms at the Capitol, as well as space that will be taken up by elevators and other new infrastructure to improve safety and accessibility in the historic building.

While the renovation is underway, the Legislature will meet in the Jonah Business Center, located at 3001 E. Pershing Blvd. in Cheyenne. Meanwhile, more than 600 employees of several state agencies have been moved to other buildings in Wyoming’s capital city.

It is ironic that this long-delayed project finally is underway at a time when the state’s energy-based economy is contracting due to low oil and mineral prices.

That dramatic downturn in the economy will make the 2016 budget session of the Legislature a difficult and possibly stormy one, as lawmakers wrestle with the challenge of meeting the needs of the state and its residents while also paying the bills with significantly reduced income.

Your carefully researched opinions can be helpful in guiding lawmakers as they work to prioritize those sometimes conflicting efforts.

After all, Cheyenne may be far away, but the results of this Legislature’s work can hit close to home.