I love this time of year. Dr. Seuss’s birthday is celebrated with opportunities for me to read to grade school classes. This year, I read Green Eggs and Ham at least six times. I love the message at the end of the book on trying new things, you just might like them. I started at St. Mary’s and ended the day at Arp Elementary. The kids were so attentive and fun to be with. I was also invited to Buffalo Ridge for their Pulsera Project. The students told me how Pulsera empowers Central American artists who make colorful handwoven bracelets (“pulsera” is the Spanish word for bracelet) and sell them through American schools. This fair-trade opportunity sends money back to the artists to help them change the trajectory of their lives. I bought a green and orange bracelet made by Gabriela Silva Nicaragua. Thank you to the students for making the day so special.
Judy and I attended the Lariats and Lace banquet at LCCC to support the college’s rodeo team and athletes. The Archer Events Center was packed with an amazing number of supporters. We were joined at dinner by two rodeo athletes, one from Buffalo, South Dakota, and the other from the big island of Hawaii. They both come from ranches and families that have been in the business for generations. I could not believe how much they could eat and what nice young men they are. I was a bit surprised by the recruiting reach of the rodeo team and the diverse places they call home. So much money was raised, and I hope it helps our rodeo team’s success.
Chief of Staff Amber Ash and I met with our city engineer to get updates on a couple of projects. Tom shared a new option for the pedestrian bridge that we hope will one day span I-25 and connect Cheyenne Frontier Days with a parking lot on the base. He also updated the effort to expand Storey Boulevard to the east. It will become an important roadway when the eastern part of Dell Range Boulevard is being reconstructed. Lastly, the Reed Avenue Corridor is a goal of city council, and we talked about the current freeze of our Federal Railroad Administration grants that will help pay for the improvements. We have so many projects the team is working on, and I am excited to see them completed.
Cheyenne was recently recognized with a bronze Bicycle Friendly Community award from the League of American Bicyclists. I met with our PIO Matt Murphy to discuss how we might work with local businesses and organizations to improve our community’s bicycle hospitality. Full disclosure, I have been in the bicycle business for the past 40 years. Making our city more bicycle friendly will have a positive impact on those who love riding bikes and hopefully make our community more attractive to those looking for the perfect place to live.
The Wyoming Business Council was created to help Wyoming grow its economy and I met with them multiple times this week to discuss projects here in Cheyenne. WBC helps companies that are creating above-average jobs with the resources they need to bring a company to Wyoming or allow a local business to expand. These projects are always more complicated than I expected, but bringing great jobs to our community is worth the effort.
This week has been all about our budget preparations for fiscal year 2026. It started by looking at our revenues and trying to predict cash flows for our next fiscal year. We are blessed to have Robin Lockman as our city treasurer. She is so organized and knowledgeable. We are also blessed to have local experts who shared their experiences and advice to help predict our revenues. Our 2026 fiscal year starts July 1, 2025, and ends at the end of June 2026. Recent actions by the Legislature have cut property taxes by 25%, which will reduce our revenues next year by over $1.5 million. Combined with the 50% reduction for residents 65 and older who have owned their home for 25 years, our revenues will see additional reductions.
We met with what we call “outside agencies.” Some are shared partnerships with the county commission, and others are outside agencies we contract with. The first agency we met with was Emergency Management. Jeanine and her team help our community plan for future emergencies and make sure we are ready in the event something happens. They are funded with Homeland Security grants and the city and county split the unfunded operations.
The Animal Shelter was next. Britney and her team contract with the city and county to take the animals picked up by our Animal Control officers. They work hard to find the owners, and if they can’t be found, they help the animals find new loving homes. Britney shared the animal numbers at the shelter are growing each year and she hopes that people will get their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the overflow of animals. The city and county split the contract with the city paying 65%. This has been a long-standing partnership, and we appreciate all they do for the animals who desperately need it.
I met the team from the County Combined Communication Center. We formed this agency more than 20 years ago to combine all the individual centers into one place where your 911 calls would be answered. They receive a significant part of their budget from the 911 surcharge and other grants and contracts. The city and county split the remaining part of their budget. The Center is part of county government and housed in the city police department. They are on call 24 hours a day, every day of the year. I appreciate the challenge and pressures the dispatchers face every day.
Betsey Hale is the CEO of Cheyenne LEADS. The city contracts with LEADS to help with our economic development efforts. This partnership has had a transformative impact in the creation of primary jobs for our residents and in the amazing private sector investments being made here. You can see their work in every part of Cheyenne. The return on investment is huge, and our governing body loves this partnership.
Laramie County is getting a new senior center later this year. Construction is almost complete, and I am excited to get a tour of the new facility. Erin and her team do so much for the well-being of seniors, from communal meals to so many other programs to help seniors age well. The city contributes to their budget, and we understand the value of their mission.
Cheyenne is blessed to have a professional Symphony. William and Lindsey explained how the city’s contribution to the Symphony helps them perform a concert for grade school students at the Civic Center each year. I attended one of the concerts a couple of years ago and the kids loved the experience. I have no musical ability but am in awe of the musicians who perform for our Symphony. One of the coolest concerts they perform is when they perform the music soundtrack during the playing of a movie.
Cheyenne Laramie County Public Health is another collaboration between the city and county. Kathy and her team at the health department provide medical services to everyone in the community on a sliding scale. Medicare and insurance reimbursements help with the cost of operating the department, and the city and county split the remainder with the city share being 55%.
Cheyenne was recently called the “Nashville of the West” due to the music and art scene developing here. Desiree from Arts Cheyenne shared their plans for the next year. I appreciate how they are influencing our art scene and helping artists express themselves. The city contracts with Arts Cheyenne and the impact of our $50,000 can be seen all over our city. I am so proud of all the art you see in our city today, and I am excited to see what comes next.