Casper Council Regular Meeting Summary - November 18, 2025
Casper Council Regular Meeting Summary - November 18, 2025
The City of Casper City Council convened on November 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM to approve minutes, financial claims, and various consent agenda items. A significant portion of the evening was dedicated to honoring Officer Terry Jackson with the Beacon of Hope Award, featuring powerful testimonies from community members regarding his impact on addiction recovery. Following the presentation, council members shared updates on local events, economic development, and community initiatives before the council voted to adjourn to an executive session regarding security matters.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes for the October 14th Special Council meeting, October 21st Regular and Executive sessions, and October 25th Executive session (Unanimous).
- Approved November 18th, 2025 Dues and Claims audited by Interim City Manager Lopez (Unanimous).
- Established December 2nd, 2025, as the public hearing date for business licenses (Silver Fox Restaurant/Lounge at 3422 Energy Lane and Big D #63 at 4501 Southwest Wyoming Boulevard) (Vote passed with one abstention).
- Approved Ordinance 7A1C amending municipal code section 17.12.210 regarding Planning and Zoning Commission meetings (Vote passed with one abstention).
- Accepted consent resolutions for:
- General services contracts (8A1) with Rocky Mountain Power for the Marion Criner Pool and Park Improvements.
- Loan and subordination agreements (8A2) for the Wyoming National Apartments Affordable Housing Project.
- Use license agreements (8A3, 8A4) for an adult volleyball tournament at WyO Sports Ranch with WSRM LLC.
- Amendment to the Casper Reentry Center professional services contract (8A5).
- Transportation alternatives agreement (8A6) for the First Street Gateway Park River Front Pathway Project.
- Application submission to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (8A7).
- Hydraulic water model maintenance contract (8A8) with Civil Engineering Professionals Incorporated.
- Global amendment to contracts with GovernmentJobs.com (8A9).
- Contract amendment for North Platte River Pedestrian Bridge Project (8A10) with Riemann Cork.
- Approved consent minute actions for:
- Purchase of $168,000 in computer equipment (9A1).
- Purchase of two front-loading sanitation trucks (9A2).
- Refurbishing of a wheeled landfill compactor (9A3).
- All consent agenda items passed with a unanimous "aye" vote, except where noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jeremy Jones (Director, 1224 Club): Expressed deep gratitude and invited the Council to follow Officer Jackson's lead in community policing. He stated that the 1224 Club serves as a hub for addiction recovery. Position: Expressed full support for Officer Jackson's face-to-face interactions and crisis de-escalation methods, contrasting them with traditional enforcement that results in lock-ups. He argued that the community needs more people in policing who understand addiction and mental health.
- Corey Frederick (Peer Support Specialist/Recovery Advocate): Delivered a heartfelt testimony stating he is on the 4-year anniversary of his sobriety (as of December 8th). Position: Expressed immense gratitude and full support for Officer Jackson, describing him as life-changing, influential, and a true friend who treats individuals with dignity. He noted that Jackson's approach transformed his view of law enforcement and highlighted that Jackson "changes lives" by walking beside people until they can walk on their own.
Discussion Items
- Consent Agenda: Council considered and approved the list of resolutions, contracts, and minutes without further comment after a motion was made by the Vice Mayor and seconded by Councilor Pollock.
- Councilor Sweeney's Remarks: Noted attendance at the Wyoming Business Alliance. Position: Expressed appreciation for the Wolf family's philanthropy and their contributions to local organizations like Boys & Girls Club and pool fundraising. Reminded the council of the upcoming Wreath Across America event (Saturday, December 13th) and the funeral of Susan Anderson.
- Councilor Gamaro's Remarks: Congratulated Officer Jackson. Position: Expressed personal concern (anxieties) regarding the potential impact of data centers on the utility grid and rising utility costs, noting the Prometheus hyperscale project's goal of self-sustainability. Shouted out local entrepreneurs and community volunteers for holiday decoration efforts.
- Councilor Jensen's Remarks: Announced the Christmas Parade on December 6th with the theme "Unmask the Magic: Superhero Christmas." Noted 53 registered floats and encouraged attendance.
- Councilor Bond's Remarks: Congratulated Officer Jackson, citing past professional trust. Position: Supported the Youth Mental Health Collective's next steps. Emphasized the need to address youth feelings of disrespect and bullying from adults. Suggested training for "third space" facilities, improving transportation access, and increasing youth civic engagement at city meetings.
- Councilor Larson's Remarks: Reported on a routine Regional Water Board meeting regarding loan payments.
- Councilor Pollock's Remarks: Provided updates on the Parks and Rec Advisory Board, the budget presentation by Better Wyoming, and community events. Position: Expressed enthusiasm for the Art321 holiday market and the social work class panel he attended with the Mayor and other officials. Noted the uncertainty residents feel regarding recent budget cuts.
- Vice Mayor's Remarks: Provided an update on Randy Butler, who is recovering from a DUI accident and has been taken off the ventilator; expressed relief that he is in good spirits.
- Mayor's Remarks: Honored Smith's $15,000 donation to the Army Food Bank for the Wyoming Food Bank. Noted interactions with the new City Manager at a conference.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Carried 1: Approved the consent minute action items (Minutes and Dues/Claims) unanimously.
- Motion Carried 2: Established public hearing dates for business licenses with one abstention (Councilor Pollock).
- Motion Carried 3: Adopted the entire consent resolution agenda unanimously.
- Motion Carried 4: Approved the consent minute action items for equipment and vehicle purchases unanimously.
- Official Recognition: The City Council officially recognized Officer Terry Jackson as the recipient of the 2025 Beacon of Hope Award from the 1224 Club.
- Executive Session: The Council voted (unanimously) to adjourn into an executive session for security matters with the instruction to reconvene solely for adjournment.
- Next Meeting: Regular Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 2nd, at 6:00 PM. No work session is scheduled for the following week.
Meeting Transcript
For your patience. Before we begin this evening, I'd like to remind everyone to please silence your cell phones. Council meetings are live streamed on the city's YouTube channel. I now call the November 18th, 2025 regular council meeting to order. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Under God, indivisible liberty and justice scroll. Please read the consent minute approval titles. Approving the minutes of the October 14th, 2025 Special Council meeting, the October 25 executive session, the October 21st, 2025 regular council meeting, and the October 21st, 2025 executive session. Thank you, the Chair Dunertina, a motion to approve the consent minute action agenda items just read. Moved by Councillor Bond, second by Councillor Haskins. Please cast your vote. Please record the vote. With all counselors voting aye, the motion passes. Chair Dunitana, a motion to approve by minute action, the November 18th, 2025 duals and claims is audited by interim city manager Lopez. So moved. Moved by Councillor Pollock, seconded by Counselor Bond. Any abstentions? Please cast your vote. Please record the vote. With all counselors voting aye, the motion passes. Tonight for our bright spot, we'd like to welcome Jeremy Jones from the 1224 Club to our meeting to discuss the Beacon of Hope Award. Mr. Jones, would you join me? Join us up front. Yes, hello, council. Thank you so much. I'm Jeremy Jones. I'm the director of the 1224 Club. 1224 Club is a community clubhouse built around recovery from addiction, and we work in cooperation with recovery programs and uh different agencies in town and providing a safe place for people in recovery to come and uh uh learn from one another and uh get peer support and um engage in all a variety of different programs in our building. Downstairs, um we also are the landlords for Netrona County Drug Corp, an office for Central Woman Counseling Center, and Casper Family Connections, which is child therapy. Um throughout our building, we have a lot of traffic of people who've been indacted by addictions. Uh and it's a hub of different services. And with the 1224 club, we've been around for through 30 years now, and at this point, um we're honored to play a small role in Casper's recovery community and the magic that happens with it. And a few years ago, uh we decided to create the Beacon of Hope Award. Um, the first recipient of the award was uh a man named Dan Cantine, 224 club. Second recipient of the award was uh Kim Nimmo, who was a board member and longtime volunteer of the 1224 club. The next recipient was Dr. Burt Tapes, who is a physician in town who also started Wyoming Recovery, which is a local treatment center. And then this year we are deeply privileged to honor Officer Terry Jackson uh with the Beacon of Hope Award. Um why it's an honor to recognize Terry with this award is that um speaking as a person in recovery himself. I was getting MIPs at age 14, DUIs at 18. I had five UIs by the age of 30. I'm no strangers to courts and jails and probations, and people pointing out that I have a substance abuse issue, right? It wasn't until I got around people in recovery who had what I had that it went from people pointing out that I had a problem to just people pointing out that they had a problem, but what they were doing about it. And that's what the 1224 club is. When people get there, us in recovery have a really good way at taking care of each other. But it helps having guardrails in the community to help us get there. And so Officer Terry Jackson and the work he does in drug court, the community policing that he does, face-to-face interactions, conversations, learning people's names, uh, crisis, de-escalation. Terry has brought me down from being hot headed at the club myself. He's so good at it.
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