CHEYENNE — After weeks of review and discussion, the Cheyenne City Council approved a spending plan for the next fiscal year without comment Monday night.

The council also discussed plans for new construction projects, policies and fees at its regular meeting.

2025 fiscal year budget

The first public hearing at Monday’s meeting was about the proposed $147.6 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins July 1. There was no public comment, however, and it was unanimously approved on the consent agenda.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle previously reported on an amendment proposed to the initial budget by City Council member Scott Roybal. He moved to shift $35,000 from miscellaneous insurance and bonding funds so it would be split evenly across the city’s three ward discretionary accounts, which comes from an overestimation from the city treasurer’s office on how much the miscellaneous insurance and bonding expenses would increase for the upcoming financial year.

The shift is in addition to the existing $20,000 that is allocated to each ward in the proposed budget, as well as any carryover from the previous fiscal year that a ward did not spend.

Jolly Rogers Urban Renewal Plan

The Jolly Rogers Urban Renewal Plan is a proposal to build 194 residential units across two multi-story buildings at four floors apiece on the northwest corner of the intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and Whitney Road, which was previously occupied by the Jolly Rogers RV sales facility. The site covers approximately 11 acres.

Charles Bloom, the city’s planning and development department director, said the project will utilize tax increment financing, which captures the increase of property taxes resulting from new development, and disperse that increased revenue to help supplement the redevelopment. Bloom said this will not change any tax rates.

A community member, who lives on the corner of College Drive and Dell Range Boulevard, spoke about overcrowding in the area and how the apartment complex may affect Saddle Ridge Elementary School capacity and existing traffic problems with speeding and accidents.

Mayor Patrick Collins responded, saying the school district doesn’t build schools with future growth in mind. So, this project will most likely put pressure on the state to build more schools, he said.

Mark Christensen, an AVI PC staff member and agent for the applicant, said his client is willing to have a neighborhood meeting to address design objectives to ensure community members in the surrounding areas are comfortable with the project.

The item was referred to the council’s Public Services Committee.

BOPU water and sewer rates

The WTE previously reported on the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities seeking to raise rates for water and sewer services in 2025 by 10% and 8%, respectively. On average, this price would increase monthly rates by between $2 and $9 for the typical residential consumer.

Ward 2 Councilman Mark Rinne acknowledged the community’s frustrations with the increase, but urged the public to keep in mind the large amount of piping in the city. Rinne said there is about 120 miles of clay pipe that needs to be replaced, as well as around 8,000 service lines that would potentially need to be replaced by 2027, which would cost $64 million.

“Current construction costs for pipes range from $300-350 per square foot,” Rinne said. “I’m not sure people understand the costs that it takes to keep our system going, and our system, when you turn the tap on, you get clear and clean water. … We have a system that works, it works well, and it costs money to maintain that.”

The item was approved, with council members Michelle Aldrich and Bryan Cook voting “no.”

{h3 dir=”ltr”}Vision Zero Policy{/h3}

The Vision Zero Policy aims to eliminate traffic injuries and fatalities in Cheyenne by 2040 through the funding of two types of grants — planning and demonstration, and implementation.

Council member Pete Laybourn said while this may seem like a feel-good aspiration, it is not.

“We are having more traffic, and it’s going faster in a system that wasn’t built for it,” Laybourn said. “As we grow, we can see that sometimes — as in the case of Gardenia [Drive] — we are going to have to go back and make adjustments. So this is something individuals can refer to and discuss with us in those complex, long-term efforts that it takes to really change and improve these factors. … So, I speak very much in favor of this, and I believe it is a logical resolution.”

The resolution was adopted, with all council members in favor.

Agreement with Section 20 LLC

The WTE previously reported on Cheyenne Fire Rescue’s request for $836,325 to buy approximately 2.74 acres of empty land at the northeast corner of Powderhouse Road and East Carlson Street for the future relocation of a fire station.

Aldrich moved to approve an amount not to exceed $836,325, and Richard Johnson seconded. The motion was approved, with all council members in favor.