Last week we broke ground on the first of three new fire stations. This week we closed on the land for the second location. This station will be located next to the Ashley Furniture store on Nationway. It was another opportunity to say thank you to Bob Wirth for his willingness to work with the city on his land. We really needed this location, and Bob did not have to sell. I think he understood how important this location was for our public safety program and made the decision to help his city. Much appreciated sir.
Manufacturing is becoming a very important part of our economy. We have more than 1,100 manufacturing jobs in the county, with an average salary of more than $73,000. I was invited to read a proclamation at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) to support National Manufacturing Day. LCCC is the perfect place to hold this ceremony, as they are developing an Advanced Manufacturing facility to train the next generation of employees. LCCC will have all the necessary equipment to allow students to train and take jobs in this fast-growing and lucrative industry. LEADs will tell you that family-owned manufacturing is a huge market for Cheyenne. I think our partners at LCCC are and will become an even more important part of our economic success.
I was honored to take part in the Wyoming State Silent Witness Ceremony at Blue Federal World Headquarters, last Friday. Sadly, this ceremony recognizes the folks we have lost in the state to domestic violence. Each person lost is symbolized by a silhouette of their likeness. We started with a walk around the building, and I met Kathy Davidson who lost her 33-year-old daughter to domestic violence when she was killed by her husband. As we walked arm in arm, she told me all about Kelly Jean Davidson, and what a hole her loss has been in their lives. Later, I read the names of 39 women and children who died at the hands of domestic violence and that was only half the names lost since 1985. It was a somber event. I could tell the clubs these unfortunate families have been forced into really supported each other. Special thanks to Carla Turin from Safe House for putting together this amazing event.
Later that day was a more joyous event. The Wyoming Bar hosted a reception for the newest lawyers who passed the state’s bar exam. I went because we have a new prosecutor, Morgan Cloud, who passed and can now start working in our Municipal Court. I loved the new lawyer’s excitement and passion for the law. I know Morgan will be a great prosecutor and I welcome her to our team. Her mom and dad were so proud!
If you don’t know Dr. James Peebles, Ph.D., and his wife Jill, you need to meet them. Dr. Peebles is the founder of Sankofa, and together they held the 11th annual conference at LCCC. The organization is devoted to teaching and researching African American history and culture. I especially enjoyed the lecture presented by Dr. Fredrick Douglas Dixon who is the Director of Black Studies at the University of Wyoming. Another highlight was the candidates for elected office who spoke about why they were running. Many of them I did not know, and I came away impressed by their passion for the office they were seeking. I hope you will add next year’s conference to your calendar and make it a point to attend.
I had another housing developer stop by to introduce themselves and share their interest in the Cheyenne market. Calton Homes is an affordable housing company from Colorado Springs. Bill and his daughter Reilly came to town because Reilly’s husband works four days a week in Cheyenne and had shared so many positive stories. They specialize in sustainability, with many of their projects having solar components, among others. Housing affordability is definitely an area of need for our city.
We are required to have an annual audit of the city books. Stephanie Pickering stopped by to quiz me about any concerns I have with fraud or other nefarious actions. The city has a history of clean audits, and I credit our City Treasurer, Robin Lockman, and her team for that. They keep our city on the right financial track, always.
We had a City Council meeting this week, and while I don’t normally comment on council meetings, this one had a lot of public comments regarding annexations. We had a public hearing to discuss the potential annexation of 1,280 acres of land, south of College Drive and west of Greeley Highway. Many came to talk about this potential annexation, and many more came to talk about the City Council’s goal to annex the 65 county pockets (100% surrounded by the city). Part of the 1,280 acres will be a business park that potentially could host a new data center among other uses. The owners of the property came to the city and asked to be annexed, as city services make the most sense to support the development. I appreciated the comments and know our staff will work to mitigate the impact on the neighborhoods in the area.
The county pocket issue is different… As the city has grown, some county areas have become completely surrounded by the city. These folks are already counted in the city population, so it won’t add significantly to our revenues. Jurisdictional confusion is one of the big reasons for this action. Is it city or is it county? Who is responsible to respond? State law allows pockets to be annexed by the city, and there is really no appeal. The City Council has worked for the past few months to pass new laws that will make sure the annexation will not be a financial burden to those being annexed. (The only financial change will be the five additional mills of property tax paid by all city residents). We are still in the planning and preparation stage, but once ready to annex a pocket, we will hold public meetings to talk about the process and impacts.
We appointed an Affordable Housing Task Force, a year ago. To date, they have presented me with their report and shared their main findings. The biggest takeaway I’ve learned is the need for a city staff person(s) to work full-time on the housing issues our city and state are facing. We will hold a work session very soon to discuss the report and their findings. I would like to publicly thank the members of this task force. They have met weekly for a year to get a handle on the recommendations they have presented.
This summer has been a learning opportunity for me. We received a single retail liquor license due to our census report. We received 11 applicants and the council struggled to pick one winner and 10 losers. We went to the legislature to ask for relief, and today, the Corporations Committee sponsored a bill that would create a new category of licenses targeted at creating more entertainment venues. I appreciate the committee wrestling with the need to help municipalities expand services while balancing the social concerns of alcohol. The committee is just the first step, we now must convince the entire legislature. I have enjoyed meeting legislators and mayors from across the state in this endeavor. Wyoming has some really great people.
If you have a question for me, please send an email to media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer your questions or concerns in the following Mayor’s Minute column.
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