Good, how are you?

Yes, but there's time.

Still a little bit.

I was gonna say like engineering office.

Yeah.

Hello, hello.

You can hear us okay, both of you.

Yep, just fine on my end.

All right, so we've got a pretty long meeting tonight with an executive session.

So let's go ahead and get started.

Um meeting follow-up, do Lima, do you have anything?

Mayor, nope, I do not.

Council have anything from the last meeting they'd like to talk about.

Bring it up.

Okay.

Uh Peace in Our Cities recap.

Thank you, Mayor.

Peace in Our Cities was a program that was initially brought to us in February of this year by former counselor Jayela Sutherland following uh what was a pretty troubling period of time here in Casper where we suffered the tragic loss of several of our youth to violence.

Um Ms.

Sutherland introduced Peace in Our Cities as a global network that supports cities in reducing violence by up to 50%.

Uh the network emphasizes a balance between law enforcement and prevention and tailor support to individual community needs.

Counselors at that time expressed broad support for joining the initiative, highlighting the importance of strategic coordination, access to external resources and the city's leadership role.

So on March 4th of 2025, you all passed a resolution to join Peace in Our Cities and their initiative with the goal to gain access to that expert knowledge, best practices, and direct um collaboration with cities that are facing similar challenges to what Casper was facing in order to foster a safer, healthier, and more connected community for our residents.

And then fast forward in August, uh Peace in Our Cities actually coordinated a trip for a Casper delegation to Edmonton, Canada, where they would learn uh what Edmonton has done to combat violence and related issues in their community.

And so this work session is a follow-up to that trip so that council can hear from the delegation what they learned and what their recommendations are for moving forward uh to a more peaceful city.

So if it pleases the council, I would like to turn the time over to that group to present details.

Awesome.

Come on up.

Okay.

Hi everyone.

It's good to see you.

Um I will be super quick because you just heard almost exactly what I was gonna say.

So thanks, that was awesome.

Um it's really good to see all of you.

I um I'm really just kind of gonna do a little bit more ground, laying the groundwork, and then you'll hear from others who were present on the city exchange.

Um so maybe the only thing that I'll add to what you've just heard is that um we we did we had these um really excruciating events with violence against youth um and among youth, and so uh there was a lot of consensus around doing something.

We were talking a lot about doing something, and so this is kind of a step in the direction of having an opportunity to meet with other um communities and learn from particularly Edmonton about what they've done in their community to kind of coalesce around a unified strategy to reduce violence.

And so we went to Edmonton and you'll hear um what it was that we learned from them, which was quite a lot.

Um so Peace in our cities isn't intended to be a program itself, it's intended to be a space that offers support, um, that offers access to information to expertise um and that can draw um you know create space for those relationships and that networking to happen.

Um and so that this city exchange is an example of that.

Um and I just want to say that we actually have really wonderful work that's already happening here in Casper.

So this was never intended to say nothing is happening.

It was intended to be able to build off of the good work that's already happening and to um importantly offer some ideas about a strategic approach that kind of unites the work that's happening and maybe offers some ideas about what could be added on to those efforts.

So that's what you'll hear from others who are going to speak today.

So we do have a pretty report from the exchange.

Uh, to be able to learn more and go more in depth into anything.

Um but in terms of peace in our cities, Casper, the trust, um, and the health department are all members, and so Peace in Our Cities continues to be a container for the community to access to learn to ask questions from in terms of being able to provide further guidance or information that's helpful to the work as we move forward.

So I will stop and let you speak.

Sorry.

Okay, okay.

Council.

Um so we, as uh city manager bop has said, and I we did an exchange program.

So the Casper delegation included city and police leadership, public health department, Natron County Collective Trust, and PCR City representatives.

So while we we went to Edmonton because we share similarities with that community, although they're much larger, we have similar challenges.

So it would follow that we would have similar solutions to those problems.

Um so the purpose of our visit was to learn about the programs that make up REACH.

So REACH is the overarching program in Canada, which um ties all of the other little programs together.

So much like Casper, they have various entities that provide various services, and then REACH is their overarching one.

So in Casper, we have various entities, so we're learning about that and how they tie them all in together.

And so with that, I'll turn it over to Shane to go over some of the key insights from Edmonton.

Good evening.

Mayor Counselor, um, so everybody's kind of talked about Edmonton has similar challenges, although they're much larger, so I won't worry about those details.

Um, but what struck me was that they were able to reduce violence by not asking police to do more, but um creating kind of an ecosystem around the police department and to include shared responsibility, shared data, and shared outcomes, and it's been successful.

Um that their crime reduction plan supported by crisis diversion youth services and housing strategies uh contribute to their achieving the lowest crime rate in nearly a decade in 2024.

Um the biggest project is I have a couple of them takeaways, but the biggest one would be the 24-7 crisis diversion right-along that we all got to know.

If you look at the front of the report with the uh kind of the repurposed ambulance, we got to ride around with a group of um trained civilian responders operating around the clock.

So they have 24-7, they operate with a 21-1 system, if I remember that correctly.

So they have tablets.

Somebody puts in a call for service, they look at that call for service, and then they they respond and offer up some services in kind.

We went to, I think, three or four calls, Fleur and I did where we offered, I shouldn't say we they offered uh to give rides, they give them a sack lunch, small bottle of water, and some socks, and then talk to them like they were human beings and treating them with kindness and then kind of left them on their way.

Uh what they and what this does is um typically the calls that their law enforcement agency would go to, and some of the ones that we're confronted with responding to public intoxication, welfare checks, uh, people in crisis, that team takes and what they were able to say is through their own analysis, and I don't know what exactly that looks like, but they were able to save um a dollar and ninety-one cents for every dollar they invested in this program.

And so what it does is it frees officers to respond to crime and not crisis.

The other piece that stood out to me is um they have cross-sector collaboration, which means um similar to an officer violence prevention here in the United States, they have REACH, which is kind of the hub that coordinates and incubates all these programs to determine who would be best served to provide this service for that group of individuals in their time of need, if that makes sense.

So you're you may have somebody that may not fit completely in this pocket that we're gonna find somebody that can come over here and help take care of those individuals, whether that be temporary housing, mercy services, things like that.

But they're they're an absolute resource to make sure that they tie all those loops together, those people to help they need for the folks struggling.

And lastly, the the takeaway is they're able to integrate all of their data with with the health services and youth services and community programs, which I know that there's been conversations in and around Casper core data and a couple other things where we would share our data in there.

We got to figure out what that looks like because there are some confidentiality confidentiality issues as to especially when it comes to youth or juveniles, um, some of the stuff that we have in the police department, what we can share, and then um similar to our DDAX model would develop what we call hot spots, revisit those every 90 days to see if we've had any impact, whether you're going down there's a 24-7 crisis response, you're sending law enforcement down there to do um targeted enforcement thing and then go back every 90 days and revisit that.

Revisit those every 90 days to see if we've had any impact.

Whether you're going down there's a 24-7 crisis response, you're sending law enforcement down there to do targeted enforcement thing and then go back every 90 days and revisit that.

Um overall, I believe their success comes from blended data, not just police alone.

And I think that we have a lot of businesses and organizations in around Casper that are already doing good things, and I think continue to try to get everybody to the table, come up with a pretty successful way forward.

Okay.

Um so I was gonna go over the key takeaways for Casper and then invite Electic Trust, Leanne and Christy to come over and talk about the recommendations for continuous.

Um so some of the key takeaways that we found were was, and I think that the sheep hit that the strong collaboration across city and police and community partners.

They all worked really well together.

They had a transparent data model, which helped so that they could all communicate and they could all share data.

That's a thing that we can work on here.

Um, youth engagement is crucial for long-term community health, and they really focus on that.

If you have a you you grow your healthy community, essentially and balance strategies with prevention intervention and enforcement, those produce the best safety outcomes.

Um with that, I think Leanne's going to talk about the recommendations.

Well, thank you uh for taking the time and space to let us talk a little bit more about the umtronic council for safety and justice, which we often lovingly refer to as NCSJ.

So you'll probably hear that come out of our mouth a couple of times.

The youth mental health collective, and how our recent Edmonton Exchange through Peace in Our Cities has further informed and strengthened our direction moving forward.

Since late 2021, NCSJ has convened regularly to address the complex needs of adults experiencing mental health, mental health or behavioral health challenges, substance abuse, or involvement with the justice system or the institutional settings here in the Trump.

So the Peace in Our Cities group that went to Edmonton when we returned, we we definitely gained some valuable insights into cross-agency collaboration and a coordinated community response.

And what we observed aligns, we believe aligns closely with the infrastructure that's already been established within NCSJ, only it's been scaled up and strengthened with some formal agreements.

So, with this in mind, we see some significant opportunities to partner with both the city, the county in order to reduce duplication, streamline efforts, and build an integrated approach to community well-being.

So for NCSJ, this is also particularly timely because uh opportunity for us to really broaden our scope and pull other people in while still ensuring agency ownership of new emergency emerging initiatives.

So to better understand our current initiatives and the way we see this work sort of coming together.

We developed this, and I'm sorry to going in, but we developed this map.

You should have it in your packet.

I also have hard copies if you want it.

Um, and there's a brief description of our initiatives that you'll get after the meeting if you want to kind of dive into those individual things.

But we want to explain that map to you now.

Yes.

Does everyone have a copy?

So I think the goal of the two groups is really to align and ensure that we are not asking already very busy um community leaders to meet again with really similar goals.

And so we've created this map so we can demonstrate how we think these two um two initiatives or um entities can align.

So the leadership team is here on top, and this is really going to help us both broaden our scope and help determine the direction of where the community wants to lead.

So you know, NCSJ has a good infrastructure.

We are looking to enhance and support what is being recommended.

So everything down into the left is what's currently already being initiated, met upon, started uh with the NCSJ work, and that has included the juvenile efforts that started back in 2024.

So the areas that are highlighted in blue are areas that we think really aligned with the team that went to Edmonton and with their specific recommendations, where they fit into this map and how we can move the work forward.

And then if you look off to the right, there's a section off to the right focused on community-wide violence prevention.

This section illustrates how new initiatives can connect to like our broader framework while being led and implemented by any agency.

So yes, so they've specifically talked about the expansion of we have a current um mobile crisis through CWCC that's starting um to work with Casper Police Department.

It's it's very new, it's you know, the infrastructure is still being built, but the recommendation is then to build that into a 24-7 crisis diversion pilot program.

So you can see those two really align with each other.

Um Edmonton really talked about the continued advancement of the youth third space, which we have that group and they're working on that initiative as well.

Um expanding that mental health collective that's already being established to really look at those wraparound services and the coordination of the service delivery, and as the chief chief spoke about that improved data sharing and that evaluation through implementation programs such as core data.

We have just recently signed the agreement with CWCC and Core Data, so we will start building out what that looks like for each agency that wants to participate within the city.

Um it is very um HIPAA compliant youth focused, so I don't foresee any issues with the agencies that do want to put data in there that we can share and build that infrastructure.

So with the expansion of NCSJ to include um some of the peace in our city interests and a broader collaboration between city and county, we are here requesting supports for a variety of things.

So we're kindly asking requesting um to have an assignment of a city councilor or city employee to the NCSJ leadership team.

We feel that's important for the city to be aware of and supporting the initiatives moving forward.

Um support and participate in the Casper um Blueprint for Violence Prevention, which will be led by Anna Kinder and the public health department, um provide in-kind support through partnerships with the Parks and Rec Code Enforcement, Casper Police Department to reinforce and support those community-led efforts, and consider funding the expansion of the current crisis intervention programs that could include two very specific things, um, looking at the expansion of mobile crisis, what we currently have and its baby infrastructure to a true 24-7 diversion crisis team program.

Um, and another example of something that can be funded is emergency funds for the situation table for those high-risk high needs individuals that have been identified by the community members as high-risk high acuity need to this community.

So I think those are two very tangible uh ways that we can move forward in a collaborative effort, supporting what this team came back from Edmonton and support the efforts that have been continuing continued on and initiated through NCSJ since 2021.

We also want to invite, I mean, really any council member and or any member um of the staff of the city of Casper or the County is welcome to get involved in any of the initiatives listed on the map or on the detailed information.

We really invite you to participate in whatever way um you want to.

So with that, just want to say thank you.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you for continued support, and we look forward to deepening the partnership.

Anything else, Dean?

Yeah, yeah.

So in the collaboration and resources, um one department, say the police department or required apartment um being increased by I'll throw a number out of uh 100,000 a year uh in a budgeting process to make some of these things happen.

And then secondly, do you see the ability of the trust uh coming forward with additional resources?

I know you're heavily invested, so I'm not saying that, but I'm wondering are there other opportunities because just watching um the uh appropriations committee yesterday on the Department of Health.

I don't think we can expect any opportunities from the state coming down the line to help with any of these initiatives.

And I'm truly concerned about our own city county department of health.

You know, what will happen in the next session?

So thank you, Mayor Counselor.

So when I look at the um obviously staffing is still an issue for us, but I think things can be done from a budget neutral piece from our personnel where we can adjust some um personnel to address some of these things on a temporary basis to actually see what that workload's gonna look like before we come back and have any legitimate asks as to costs or equipment needs, if that makes sense.

So I think there's some small piece to that.

Refocus our personnel when we get to a point.

That's not to say we wouldn't have an ask later down the road, depending on what this looks like, but in the short term, I think we can get some things done with them.

Any significant costs.

Thank you, counselor.

Similarly, I would say on the parks and rec side of things because we are very involved in the youth initiatives in particular.

I also think that at least initially we'll we'll absorb some of those um you know extra initiatives and and um time and resources needed until we understand uh sort of what the the workload increase could be and and don't anticipate a financial ask for our department at this time.

Um could change again depending on the direction that we end up going with third spaces, but for now we're we're hoping to be able to just absorb that into current resources and monitor what the increased workload looks like.

Well, I I appreciate that.

Um just trying to look down the road to keep this thing moving and hopefully get similar results that Edmonton did.

Uh but I think you know with the chiefs leadership.

I've seen, I mean, you can feel a dramatic change in attitude with the department as a whole, and I think that bodes well not only for the lead leadership but the department.

Um but I I think we'll hit my belief is we'd probably hit a critical mass um before the the next budget and um and I think we should be prepared to pull our our own weight.

I don't know if we'll get much response from the county on the sheriff's side of things, but I don't maybe will.

So mayor council, so we're a number of different hats here.

Um I would just say with the the crisis response team up at Central, it's still very nascent um in its its existence.

And so I think the intent would eventually be to lessen the burden on the police department um by allowing non-swart um individuals to respond to crisis.

Um so just to echo some of the comments that have been made.

I think at this point it's probably premature for for this group or any other group to come with a specific ask until we kind of flesh out kind of what that program would look like.

Um I think you're preaching to the choir when we uh um when you say that you know there's concern about the state funding because a lot of what we do, whether it's in the municipal court diversion program or some of the crisis diversion that we're doing, it's very dependent upon the state um department of health contracts, and so um we just had testimony on that, and there'll be more discussions in January.

So I think that's that's where you start um trying to preserve that.

Um but but to echo again the comments that I made uh down the line that that could certainly change.

Other questions, Carls.

Thanks, Mayor.

I don't really have any questions.

Sounds like this is a conversation we're gonna pick up later once the teams added chance to fully flesh out some of those more precise recommendations and any financial impacts and stuff.

But I do really appreciate everyone who took the time to go.

I appreciate John.

My understanding is your organization picked up the tab.

So very thankful for that.

Uh I'm very interested, Chief, in the 24-7 crisis uh services, would love to see what that looks like and uh get your insight in regards to you know how they collaborate with dispatch and you know how we determine which calls go to which uh organization.

You know, if it can result in us being more fiscally responsible with our limited resources by uh, you know, um handling folks differently and achieving better outcomes and relying less on incarceration and maybe leaning more heavily into some of these other services.

I'm all for it, uh especially as is mentioned with resources getting more tight over time.

Um wanna make sure we've been as efficient as possible.

So yeah, I just really appreciate everyone that went and looking forward to having some more granular conversations in the future.

Any other comments, questions?

Yeah, we can want to add in about the 24-7.

That we did the ride alongs up there in Edmonton.

It was it was fantastic to see how those people interacted with the people who were having a crisis.

It was they were known on the street, they people knew that they were there to help them.

Um were very kind and generous to the people.

We stopped at one, we saw a gal that had fallen over and didn't look like she was breathing, and we got out and made sure she was okay, gave them snacks, um, gave another gal a ride back to her homeless shelter, little things like that at the same time.

More intense calls.

They talked to about some of the more intense calls that they had had with crisis and where they had mental health professionals intervene with them.

But seeing that level of care and then coming home and finding out that you've got one that's in its infancy was great to meet for me to see how a lot of stuff that NCSJ and other people have already started here in Casper.

Edmonton has made those things work, and I think it gave us a lot of insight on what we can do to make sure that the programs that we're putting together here are successful.

And it's nice to have that collaboration with Reach up there in Edmonton.

We can contact them and get answers, and it's gonna help a lot.

Yeah, Michael, and then I'll get you, please.

So thanks, Marine.

Um so one question I did have the uh homeless coalition.

Where, if at all, do you see that fitting into this scheme here?

Have you I don't know if you've had a chance to think about that or talk about that.

And I haven't been through the entire um exchange report, but any thoughts about that?

Thank you for that question.

I think we will continue to support each other and continue to be a liaison for one another.

I think it's important that those two the goals are maybe just a bit different in the way they approach how they're tackling the issue, but the overall issue is a healthier, safer, you know, community and more productive, safer individuals.

So I think we can continue to be liaisons and supporters.

Um, I don't know if Mr.

Nelson has another opinion on on that as well, but I definitely think collaboration is important.

Mayor Council.

So I I don't disagree with that at all.

I think when you look at the flow chart, the way I perceive this is that NCSJ has kind of put this framework in place.

And I don't think the expectation is that the trust would would do all the heavy lifting, but they would facilitate the heavy lifting.

And so as we break it down into various buckets of work, I think then assigning that out to the entity or organization that that is best suited to address that.

And so I I could see the city's homelessness uh initiative maybe being best suited to address certain areas, and so that would just kind of slot into the overall framework, I think.

Um but again to to echo a comment uh earlier.

We don't want to take our leaders of our organizations, cities, counties, and make them attend a dozen meetings a month.

That's just not uh a good use of anyone's time.

So to the extent that we can be synergistic and work together, um, I think it'll be more efficient.

So that's I think our discussions have been around how how we can meld those those efforts together.

Thanks, Mayor.

Um I guess I just wanted to point out one of the other things that is um very exciting for me is this focus on uh generating data, meaningful data that can inform metrics.

You know, one of the other partners, I'm sure they're already at the table through the NCSJ is the hospital.

Lance Porter has reported, including to the homelessness coalition in recent meetings that uh especially during the winter, they have people that are without transportation that call 911 simply to get transportation across town.

There's no emergency, but it's obviously a very expensive service that adds to the 50 million dollars plus incompensated care that the hospital board bears, and then we all as uh consumers of their services pay in flighted pricing because they're having so much uncompensated care.

One other recommendation that I forgot to um suggest is that this group return to the council every three to six months whatever you guys think is appropriate or as needed with rec with um progress reports we really want to start more proactively communicating back what is working what isn't working what the data is and and really demonstrate the progress so I would just take that as a consideration as well if you would just get Amber first I I have a notice um like the why um boys and girls club um and the rescue mission and I I don't attend to all the meetings um either but um I was just wondering are they involved in part of the collaborate collaboration?

Yeah um I think uh they are I think that it's kind of in a different way so when you look at a lot of the youth serving organizations part of the issues that they run into is the times that people want to meet and they're convenient for them they're serving youth um so I have found them to be extremely collaborative when we go with a specific request you know of can you partner with us on this particular thing?

Can you partner with us on this issue?

And then they all say really well connected through the communication that we're sending out and the things that are happening with youth mental health collective great partners they really are echo that through various levels of NCSJ.

We have various levels of really um intentional partnership I think there's always areas that we can bring them into the fold and continue to support each other.

But I I would say through the situation table through through some of those really frontline work through that frontline work we have some really diligent partners that are working tirelessly with some of our agencies um I would like to see uh more engagement there I would like to see more engagement and we will continue to work on bringing more and individuals into that um broader leadership scope that's the goal of 2026 as well uh thank you for the presentation I the only thing I really have to add I agree largely with what everyone has said here um I I definitely would support the addition of a counselor staff person to the leadership team I think that in order for us to make this meaningful and make the city's connection to it meaningful um we want to be involved at that level and so um it looks like there's some direction requests and some things in these recommendations seem like we could pretty easily provide direction now and some of them maybe require future conversation but some of those you know kind of budget neutral impacts and that sort of thing that are on this list I I'd support moving those forward so that the city formalizes in some way our our commitment to the to the group anything else okay thank you guys thank you thank you so it sounds like there's direction requested um an uh we repeat that one more time I'm just kidding sorry I will if you no no no I'm fine um so it sounds like that we want to move forward with at least for sure uh making sure that we are supporting them one sounds like um having a staff person or a council member um participate on the leadership team yeah love to be on that leadership team okay since I'm already involved with peace in our cities that could be a good fit council okay with our ex mayor continuing on the leadership team need both like a staff connection too do you think or are we okay with the just a council connection?

What do you think?

So any recommendations could be for staff-wise police department somebody uh mayor and I'm kind of put you on the spot now.

I'm sorry.

Well, my inclination is to say, you know, if if somebody from the city manager's office is just our chief of staff, however, I I don't feel like it's appropriate for me to make that resource decision.

Okay, given that our new city manager will be starting next week.

Right.

So um, you know, it could be a tentative recommendation, and then she couldn't.

Mayor, so um I do intend to be part of that um starting in January happen in the past, but uh I haven't attended as regularly, so certainly I'll be there.

I think um I do see the chiefs at a lot of these meetings or their desk um fire and and police, so that makes sense.

So we should be able to have that filled.

Yeah, I think so.

I mean, it it usually any of these meetings, there's multiple staff uh from the city that are attending.

So to interim city managers um certainly defer uh appointing an official um staff liaison, but I think in the interim rest assured we're covered.

We got it covered.

Yeah, and I and I would agree, and I hope council would agree we can maybe find one person when we when Janine gets your have that one designated staff member that's the point when a contact would be great.

Anything else for the direction?

Is that it?

Mayor, in that in the absence of a of a specific funding ask.

However, I will say that if there is an initiative that council is particularly interested in and wants to dedicate funding, um, that would be important information for us to have as we go into our budget process.

So um keep that in mind.

I'm sure though um a little bit more information may be forthcoming soon.

I think it is important to know that Edmonton has been at this for 15 years, and of course we're just starting out, right?

But um, but there are some exciting things already happening in the community and and certainly um now as the NCSJ acting sort of as the reach for Casper, right?

The hub that is sort of um combining all of the resources through the community together in a more organized way.

Uh again, if there if there is initiative that the council is really excited or supportive of um that you would like to allocate resources to that would be helpful.

So council if we want to think about that as we're kind of moving to the new year into the budget session coming up, we can have that conversation around what and if we can provide whether it's same kind or anything else?

Did we miss anything?

Yeah, do we want to commit to some sort of cadence for updates from the group?

Um, so that we don't just need a scheduled Christa, would you say every three to six months?

Is that what you guys thought?

Yeah, I think three months might come pretty quickly.

So you want to do six months?

Six months okay with everybody for a report.

Okay, that sounds good.

We'll get something.

Yeah, giant you wanna sorry, we have a microphone, but I want to get it on record.

Are you shocked that I have additional thoughts?

Yeah, um I was just gonna say too um to Lima the point that you raised.

If there are certain initiatives that you want more information about or that you would like for us to explore further, the breadth of ideas is vast um in the collective, but we didn't want to inundate you necessarily.

Um, and so maybe you know, we can set ourselves to that six-month schedule, but I think I'm gonna speak for the group.

Like, feel free to ask us to come back at any time or just make a request for further information and and we can share that, we can set up meetings, we can do whatever is needed to support information requests.

So happy to have the six month, but also happy to come or you guys can just chat as much as you like.

I guess just for so that we can provide something a little more substantive.

That the thing that appeals to me that seems like probably you know has the potential to be most impactful is the 24-7 crisis support.

Um, I I've personally seen individuals needing that support in downtown Casper personally made phone calls to try to get people that support.

I I think that you know, in terms of the budget implications for for PD for the hospital for the um detention center to me, that is a great place to to focus some efforts.

So I would be really interested in like scoping that further and digging into like how what is the path to scale that and what is the you know financial burden to make that happen?

So it's that's a great recommendation is that a really focus area that we can look at as far as the 247 focus crisis absolutely yeah we can come back with that is there a particular timeline like the implications for your budget conversations is there a certain timeline where you need answers back to inform the discussions I would recommend February.

February at the latest if there's going to be financial applications from from an operating budget right the middle okay like the four okay got it I love it we can divide Saturday so don't no yeah so we'll so I think maybe the middle of February we can kind of look at the conversation wrap it up.

I'm committing our team to that yeah okay well since we have Jai up here again I'll ask a I just a quick question about I think it's a quick question about uh so the I the impetus I think for a lot of this work were the two youth violence incidents that happened some time ago so I guess my question is what um was there something other than the 24-7 crisis response was there something that that Edmonton that you all as a team you felt was particularly impactful on that aspect of of youth violence I mean violence is is an issue you know adults or youth but I'm just curious about what was what was the most impactful that you thought on youth youth violence about between between youth I'm gonna let Chief sure answer that question mayor counselor thank you for the question the one thing that um I mean they were all good programs but one that stuck out the most is RAP ed they call it um it offers support prevention and intervention to youth and their families not just to the youth but um to identify root causes of social disorder and then tries to give them the the resources to get them more productive way of working it's a short version of it but I thought that program was kind of rapid rapid okay thank you just like spells one B okay thank you any other questions for the chief okay so it sounds like we have the direction to council staff um that forward consider thanks chief yeah one more thing okay yeah go ahead yeah we're gonna sorry just to connect some dots too there was also a recommendation in there about city collaboration on the development of the blue current for violence prevention and so that would the idea there is that that's kind of the comprehensive strategy that ties these different community efforts together and so RAP ed being an example of a program but not necessarily the reflection of the overarching strategy.

So Anna's just gonna tell you a little bit about her ideas around the strategy too just so you know that all of this is interconnected but as you said I mean prevention looks like supporting your community um it doesn't necessarily look like pulling the weapon from their hand you know so anyways please closer Mr.

Mayor um counselor so one of the things that we did take out of there was the blueprint for prevention of violence and looking at violence from both the perspective of internal and external um it was a very related public health response that they did it so um very easily to look at like the social determinants of health and how that looks and so that coordinated effort that we've been talking about for quite some time bringing in kind of things in together working towards the same goal and objective while we have very great activities that are happening we need that big overarching so we have that directive the timeline and everything that goes along with that so um it's in the infancy of that and as we put the leadership team for NCSJ and getting input from community partners will be able to make that a very well rounded kind of situation um having participation from multiple departments and agencies and you all and county etc um moving towards that common um systems change that upstream that we're looking for thank you yeah um are there further commitments we need to make on that front outside of appointing staff and council to the leadership team that to be determined or do you need some sort of commitment from us to say like yes we will collaborate with you on the blueprint I think it would be great to have confirmation that the city is willing to collaborate I think that once the blueprint is established it would be great for the you know the member parties to the commitment to sign it or you know establish an MOU around it or something but that's down the line but I think commitment now helps and that commit would the commitment would come through the appointment of those two members to the NCSG leadership team I think right

I think it would be great to have confirmation that the city is willing to collaborate.

I think that once the blueprint is established, it would be great for the you know the member parties to the commitment to sign it or do you know establish an MOU around it or something, but that's down the line.

But I think commitment now helps and that commitment, the commitment would come through the appointment of those two members to the NCSG leadership team.

I think, right?

Okay.

So I think verbally right tonight we're committing to it, saying yes, we're behind it 100%, and that we will commit staff and a council member to be a part of that.

And then you think down the road, maybe some type of an MOU.

Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna use that as like a general term, but I think what once we establish you know, as a community, this this blueprint or whatever we decide to call it, um, it would be great to have everybody kind of come together and say, okay, we're committed to this.

This is how we're gonna move forward, and then we can also you know lay out the programs that are in place, or will we develop to support the execution of the strategy?

Perfect.

Yeah, of course.

One final point on that.

Um do you anticipate there being uh uh cost to the development of the strategy through a consultant or anything like that that we need to if we're saying we're committing, are we committing dollars or is it time and resources and uh information?

Don't want to misspeak, but so I'm gonna let Anna answer your question through Mayor Counselor.

So it is something that is just basically being absorbed at this time.

Um the Board of Health did indicate the strong need to address mental health, and so we'll utilize those funds um to get it initiated and launched and things like that, but then at that point it probably will have expense to it, but right now it's just being absorbed, much like the rest of the markets happen.

Okay.

Time just time.

Thank you.

Anything else?

So it sounds like our direction uh appointing city staff and the council member leadership team, uh, consider the budget um as we move forward um here into uh February, focus on 247 the 24-7 crisis response.

Um we'll be doing an update in February, it sounds like um for the consideration for the budget and what we need to talk about, what that looks like, and then uh looks like there was a direction for every six month updates.

Does that sound about right?

Yep.

Very good thank you.

Thank you also thanks, appreciate it.

Yes, before we move on, I just would like to note there's a stunning picture of uh the skyline of uh Edmonton in there and an unbelievable I I know it's not on the scale of our bridge, but uh coming bridge, but it certainly looks similar in design, except not double just flag that but cool to get it.

And it looks right in place with the background of just the city.

So I just wanted to comment.

Thank you.

Thank you for everybody on the team that went to um Edmonton to do that.

Thank you for the work that you guys are doing, which is so critical to our community.

So we appreciate you.

All right, moving on.

Thank you, Mayor.

At the request of several of our counselors, uh, this is really intended to be sort of a question and answer session so the members of council can learn from the members of the opioid task force uh more about the entities, the programs, and the considerations that went into decisions regarding allocation of the um opioid settlement funds.

And so as a reminder, the opioid task force members include um Councillor Kyle Gamroth, Councillor Branley Haskins, Commissioner Peter Nicolayson, Commissioner Casey Coates, um, and Carol King, who is a uh subject matter expert uh in in the community.

And so many of those members are here to help support and answering questions that council might have.

Um, and then of course, assuming that after tonight's discussion, council is still supportive of the task force recommendations, then uh staff will prepare funding agreements for council's formal adoption at a few future business meeting.

So, with that, we'd like to open it up for counselors to ask questions of the task force members, any members of the task force that are in the audience can uh kindly come up to the podium and prepare to maybe help answer the question.

So if we have the task force, would maybe we could have you guys come sit up here.

Okay.

So let's go ahead and open up.

Um there's any questions for Kyle, Brandy, um, Commissioner Um Nicolace to have that cover or Eric or I guess um uh I guess Casey's not here.

So anybody has some more questions they want to open up to.

So thank you, Mayor.

Um really trying to understand so um the funding requests were for 18 months or two years, and that got paired back to uh initially just one year.

Is that correct?

Yeah, uh so it was the uh perspective of the group that because we have such limited finite funding, we may get more in the future, but at the current present time between the county and the city, we have roughly just under three million dollars, and so it was the opinion of the group that um since some of these are novel concepts and uh um you know we're not sure what degree of success I would have.

We just wanted to stick to one year of funding to set aside two-thirds of the funding for future use, and that gives us one year to kind of pilot these projects, and then depending on how successful they all are, we can use the rest of the funding to you know really maximize our return on investment.

So we didn't want to kind of blow our wad in one go, we wanted to set aside some for some uh you know short-term sustainability for the most effective programs.

Okay.

I would just be interested to uh hearing from folks who were involved in the process.

Um, outside of the sort of philosophy around the time frame, which I think makes good sense.

Uh what else we prioritizing?

It's such a broad sort of spectrum of things that that folks could come forth with.

So in your discussions, you know, where were you trying to aim the funds in terms of the impact uh for the most part?

Um my question's for Peter.

Yeah, yeah.

Um I'll take a first pass if I'm missing anything, Peter.

I don't want to put you on the chair.

You're you're the committee chairman.

Um you know, the funding certainly was restricted to uh you know uh treatment prevention and handling of opioid use disorder, but otherwise it was fairly broad in its language.

So uh you know, we did get kind of a spectrum of proposals.

We had an RFP that the group had worked with to kind of dial it in as much as possible, but we still left it kind of intentionally broad because we didn't want to um you know tie people's hands too much.

If they had some really creative out-of-the-box solutions, we wanted to hear that and make sure they felt comfortable uh responding to the RFP with those uh ideas.

Um, you know, there were a couple uh one of the proposals, for instance, um hinged on the hiring of a police officer dedicated towards this sort of work, and so in those cases, we felt like um we we can't even get our uh own police department fully staffed, and so it just um wasn't feasible in our opinion to set aside uh an officer strictly for these purposes because we're gonna, you know, any officer that we hire, there's a variety of needs that we need them for, and so there were conditions like that that kind of um we took into consideration and kind of informed our approach.

But other than that, I mean uh outside the RFP, that was kind of our our guiding compass throughout the whole thing.

Um Peter, is there anything I'm missing that you no, I I think uh counselor camrath's right.

We went into this with an open mind.

Um Carol King, who tonight is is our subject matter expert, and we were gonna throw all the hard questions to her.

Um, but she she assisted us a lot, and uh you know uh counselor gamrath also has some experience in this in the field more generally.

Uh we just listened to proposals um and we were super impressed with the breadth and variety we saw.

Uh we didn't go in thinking, well, we're gonna devote this much to treatment and and this much to uh education.

Uh we didn't do that at all.

Um we did try to say we need to set aside some funds for future years.

We don't know if any additional funding is gonna come in, but other than that, we just kind of did what we felt made sense.

I did uh oh sorry.

I also wanted to attack onto that.

So while we were like certainly open and receptive to a variety of uh different proposals and concepts, uh we also were very um you know, wanted to make sure that the proposals that were in front of us had some sort of evidentiary basis, that they weren't just sort of theoretical that they had some empirical evidence to support them.

And uh that's why I was really thankful we had Carol King on the group with us.

I I was glad she applied and uh was happy to have her on the uh group.

I met Carol at CWCC when I worked there.

She used to manage their medication assisted treatment program, which is the uh provision of uh Suboxone and other medications for people that have opioid use disorder, and so she's got a wealth of knowledge in that regard.

When I left CWCC, she was the director of residential programming up there, and so involved on the 90-day treatment uh side of things, so just very well rounded and uh has a ton of clinical um experience to bring to the table.

And so uh me and her specifically were really mindful of uh SAMHSA, the substance abuse mental health services administration for the country has a list of programming on their website that is empirically based.

You know, it's got empirical evidence to support it, and then there's other programs that have less evidence, but they're promising.

Umpirical but promising, I don't know.

They have different categories, and so we wanted to make sure, especially for many of the treatment providers that they were following that their curriculum or that their services that they were providing were verified and sort of um uh supported by the guiding institutions in the country.

So um, so yeah, we were open to different ideas, but certainly we wanted there to be uh a foundation of evidentiary support for the things that these guys wanted to be doing.

Mayor, thank you.

So I my role is more of just staff support.

I listened to the presentations.

Um I did not necessarily participate in the decision making in terms of allocation of the funding, but I do want to add that in observing all of this, the task force was really also very mindful of sustainability of the programming.

And so uh Commissioner Nicolason kind of brushed on it very briefly, but there was a lot of conversation about could these funds help develop a program that could sustain even after the funding potentially goes away.

And so um I thought that was a really good uh sort of condition to consider uh you know that if there's not future funding, they can still maintain with these funds developing the program to be.

So um thank you for that, and uh thank you, Commissioner.

Um so uh funding request number one was one neutron unit against opioid.

So in that recommendation, there's a number of different agencies that are included.

Is there further breakdown of where like kind grounds they get 10 grand or out of it or um and then or is the majority?

I I would hope the majority goes probably to the health department central Wyoming Counseling Center.

But you guys know what the breakout is for that.

I was actually gonna take advantage of the benefit we have of having the health department director in the audience so um didn't know you know if uh the mayor would agree.

I would she would certainly be able to is more qualified to speak to that proposal than I think either of us, and so absolutely I welcome her maybe to it.

So our our approach to doing the funding agreements uh specifically for the one neutron group um would be to have that uh agreement uh between the city and the health department because uh they did submit the application.

I have had conversations with both uh Ms.

Kinder and Mr.

Kowsrip at the Central Women Counseling Center, and the direction I got from the group was that this would be more or less a block grant to be used for any purposes that were in the application.

I think they've had internal conversations about how they intend to um apportion uh those funds.

Um Mr.

Kowser did indicate that because of some funding that he's recently received, more of that can get pushed to the health department and the kind grounds.

Um but the intent would be then to build in some reporting requirements uh in the funding agreements to where um prior to the next cycle of uh grant making, um, they would come back to to the city and ostensibly the county as well to report on here's how we utilize the funds, and and here's the benefits and the data that we were able to glean.

So um she is in the back, Ms.

Kinder, so five yeah, so if I've misspoke, correct me.

You don't have to if you don't want to.

Mr.

Mayor and Counselors, um, thank you for that.

We did have a recent meeting, and one of the things the budget has shifted a little bit for our approach.

We are not doing the wastewater.

That was deemed um something that we did not want to pursue at this time, um, and switched it over to um dealing with some of the um high acuity that we're dealing with our maternal child health and intimate partner violence kind of situation.

So each one of the partners has a one to two staff members.

The majority of the funding um obviously staff time is expensive, but we have supplies in there for naloxone.

Currently it's available for the state from the state for free, but we put funding in there just to cover us in case that should change any time in the near future.

I have no idea how long that will last.

Um, and then dealing with some of the um services that um CAP and kind grounds provides, but really trying to take the kind grounds to a five days a week rather than what they're doing now, and then the recovery house um options that are being discussed.

So we've discussed it, kind of negotiated with each other, but it is broken out amongst us.

Um having wanted a little more guidance, it actually has worked out very well to us.

So uh thanks, Mayor and thanks for being here to be able to speak to that.

Uh I'll say just um while on the subject of this proposal, one of the things that really appealed to me about this one was I really appreciated uh these organizations coming together and submitting a joint proposal, the funding for the opioid use dollars needed to go to treatment prevention or care recovery and their proposal.

Uh the way I read it at least was trying to cover all those bases.

You know, they had partners at the table that handle all of those things, and uh I appreciate that because um having worked in mental health in this community, the reason people get lost between the cracks is because they're they're at a service provider seeking services that are not offered there, and then you need to provide that warm handoff over to someone else.

And so um I really appreciated the joint proposal because uh it sounds like these folks were all gonna work very much in sync with each other and you know prevent as few people as possible from falling in between the cracks, and so that's one thing that I uh you know gave high marks on for that proposal was the fact that um you know they weren't gonna drop people well whatever the service was they needed, they had someone at the table that could provide it.

So kind of a follow-up, but not so much.

But I've been at meetings where some of the providers have um had frustrations with our transit system and being able to buy the transit cards and all of that.

Um when you mentioned you know handoff, um, I think transportation from point A to point B can be a problem, but I don't know if any of those things have actually been resolved on our side uh or not.

So actually that was a very strong topic that was brought up during the STIM part two and the summit that there was a transportation.

Um so I think that report is coming out someday in the near future um that will address some of that and some additional strategies that went along with it.

But yes, those groups everything is kind of touching each other at this point in the game, I think.

So okay.

Um so I was curious on you on family practice, University of Wyoming.

Um what I mean, I'm I'm not aware what treatment plans they already are doing.

I should should know better.

But um is in it it for the expansion of integrated substance use disorder treatment.

I mean, do we know is the task force the group know how many people they're currently treating over at UW and are they treating a hundred a year or I don't know, Mr.

Mayor.

Um I I don't recall that specific um number.

If they provided the specific number, I guess I just say one of the things that I think the committee members were really keen on with respect to this proposal uh is the educational component, meaning part of this is training medical health providers how to deal uh with opioid and and substance abuse.

And so it was uh the education of those folks in that arena and medical providers that uh we we thought was uh pretty neat, and um I don't know if uh Counselor Gamroth or Haskins have anything to add to that the number in my head, but I don't remember if it was UW family practice, so I I don't want to tell you, but they already have a very well-established program, they're just looking to expand it.

So regardless of how long the funding lasts, the more they get right now is just more that they will get.

And yeah, the folk the key for their was we're gonna teach doctors, and when those doctors leave, they'll know how to do this.

So that was really exciting for us because no matter how long it lasts, there will be that many more doctors who know how to deal with it.

So that was our focus.

But there was a lot in regards to hep C treatment and all these other treatments, and the pregnant mothers that was very appealing to us.

But for their program, I want to say they had like 80 active pregnant, but like I said, I can't be nine in the back.

Is it thank you?

I was like, I don't know where that number came in my head.

79 and there it's their number.

Um, but it says 125 active patients in the MOUD.

Um, 30% of those are involved in the legal system.

They say tw conduct 1200 visits per year on under that program, which is the uh medication for opioid use disorder, and then there's a second part that discusses the um pregnancies and uh something like more than 140 in 2025 to date.

Thank you, Amber.

And say I know there were numbers somewhere, they're in there.

Then uh lastly, if I could, Mayor on the salvation army.

Um I'm aware of that program just broadly, and I I think that was uh in my mind a good pick uh on what they're trying to do with uh with women in particular and trying to teach them and help them in that way that'll lead to a transition, possibly to seat in house.

Um you know, or or someplace else where they can continue to get services and rebuild their lives, so that's appreciate those of you that served on that.

So all right, last call.

Okay.

Thank you guys.

Thank you for your work on the on that um committee to put this together for us.

We really really appreciate it.

It's something that a lot of organizations we've been talking about it and waiting for it for the last two, three years.

So thank you for that work.

Thanks for coming over here.

Appreciate it.

Okay, let's go ahead and go to the Daniels Fund grant.

Thank you, Mayor.

Council tonight.

I am asking really for your retroactive support for submission of a grant to the Daniels Fund for the Washington Park tennis facility.

Uh admittedly uh staff in the transition with interim positions, um, and the fact that we have applied for a number of different grants for Washington Park.

Um, mistakenly recalled that you had already given us approval to submit the grant to the Daniels fund when in fact you had not.

Um so that grant was submitted December 2nd by the deadline, and now we are asking you to ratify that submission if you so choose.

And of course, if you do not, we can withdraw our application.

Um, but it is for 150,000.

The intention of the grant is to help fill a funding gap and get us back to the original scope of the project, which was to construct six new tennis courts with lighting.

Um, when we awarded the contract, the funding was such that we had to remove some scope items so that we could afford it.

And then we have seen some reductions in grant awards from the USTA as well as Inch County Record Joint Powers Board.

So we have a small gap that we can address by either cutting additional scope from the project or through the Stanibles Fund grant.

And so we've been working with the Daniels Fund for quite a long time, about six months, and gotten to the point where they uh did formally invite us to apply, uh, which we are optimistic is a good sign.

And so uh that that is where we're at, but uh it was a staff mistake to move forward with a grant request of this amount without asking council for uh permission to do so first, and so uh I'm coming to you with that request now.

Thank you.

Thanks, Nick.

Sorry, Nick, I guess I should have said any questions for Nick Rosum.

Go ahead.

Just a quick soulima, if I'm adding up just kind of bulk mark there with the total construction contract amount, there's a little still a little gap there.

So, what are your what are your thoughts about how to meet the rest of that?

Mayor counselor, so uh in addition to the Daniels Fund grant, which would more than make up that amount, and then allow us to even add some scope items back in.

We do have another grant that you did approve submission to um to the U.S.

Council of Mayors, and so that's an additional grant that if awarded would fill that funding gap.

So that's that's not listed on here.

No, it is not because we haven't been given an indication that that will be awarded.

And so lastly, if we needed to, we would cut scope from the project, we would remove elements of the project to bring it back within budget.

I could okay, thank you.

Anything else?

Okay, thank you.

Thanks, Julema.

Uh let's go ahead and put the industrial revenues bond.

Thank you.

Uh so tonight we are asking for council's consideration of industrial revenue bonds, also known as conduit debt, um, as a sort of new funding strategy for both the recruitment and the expansion of existing companies to Casper.

Um, and with that uh support or consideration, give staff direction to move forward in identifying projects and qualifying applicants to propose to council.

So to provide more details on our proposal, uh I'd like to turn the time over to Liz Becker, our community development director and Jill Johnson, our financial services director, uh, maybe with some support from our city attorney Eric to run you through the details of the proposed program.

Um, and again, we're we're requesting your support to advance the framework for this program into the future.

Mayor, counselor's actually it's gonna be Liz that's gonna be it first.

I'm just sharing my screen.

I see I'll watch the other.

It's like little coming too blank.

Now we have the little the little uh bulbs for the just for you guys.

Okay, thank you, members of council.

Um tonight again talking about a topic called industrial revenue bonds, conduit debt.

I know you all are looking forward to this.

So we decided to um kind of do some a little bit of history, which I like to always kind of set the stage, and um then we do have a PowerPoint presentation that we're going to uh be taking you through, and the three of us are gonna kind of trade off it's some areas that are each of our areas of expertise, I would say.

So um I look back at economic development over the last 20 years.

I was with CADA, and uh when we would work with projects that came to Casper, um, you know, the typical deal was to do a loan with CADA, and we would look at um trying to do a gap analysis and gap financing and loans were a big deal for getting economic development projects done, and we would do capital investment, we'd always look at job creation.

And the other thing that we would do with CADA, um, not just with the public funds through the AMICO, pardon me, the economic development reuse or the joint powers board, pardon me, but also through Forward Casper, we would do um economic development like building roads for private companies.

We would also do grant applications with the business council, but a lot of those were also like road construction.

Over the years, economic development projects have changed, but also more importantly, is our state is very conservative as you well know, and what we will utilize as incentives.

And even when we were kicking off projects like the old Yellowstone district, so many companies would come and say, How will you incentivize us to locate in Casper, Wyoming?

And again, ideas like not having building permit fees, waiv property taxes, and um even picking up tipping fees and um some of the fees associated with utilities and tap grants or tap fees, and again, that was nothing that was allowed in most cases through our state statutes, and so we were saying to interested companies we can't do it because that's not allowed.

Well, truly over the last now three years, after you all challenged us to really come up with a revenue committee in-house, we've really taken a look, staff has at ways to look at incentives with development, but also to look at key revenue strategies to make certain that as we look at companies and look at bringing business into the city of Casper, we are doing it with what is allowed through state statute.

And I look at the work that our city attorney has done, really working deep into the statutes to see what is allowed by our law, what is allowed, even within partnering with our municipal code, but really getting in deeper on this so that economic development truly can use in some ways some creative ideas with financing.

Now, most recently, you all have approved us to move forward with something called URAs, urban renewal areas, and we are in fact very um finalizing that contract, and we'll be bringing that forward for approval.

But again, even URAs open up opportunities for revenue strategies and economic development.

It was ideas that were brought forward to us from local businesses suggesting, hey, let's designate some areas where we need to see improvements here in Casper.

You also a year plus ago helped us sponsor the community readiness grant with the Wyoming Business Council to do all the utilities up to the property across from the event center.

With that community readiness grant with the Wyoming Business Council, it had to be for public infrastructure, and I think that's what we're starting to see is what can the public aspect be that will help benefit local businesses so that we can eventually recruit to that property businesses that are not being tasked right off the top with putting in utilities because that can just sink a deal quicker than anything when they're needing to look at in projects such as actually the building itself and the equipment, you know, and even workforce grants, um, which were a big ticket item 20 years ago.

We don't see that as frequently now with economic development.

You know, I look at the development with the Wyoming Sports Ranch, a lot of that was done privately, as you all are well aware, but we are also beginning to see more and more interest here in Casper coming into this office into this community, um, saying, what else can you all do really as a city to help incentivize, help bring together some ideas for revenue and financing of these economic development projects?

So thus we have the word conduit in Latin.

What does that mean?

Come on, come on.

You're awake.

On to it, conduit.

What's conduit means I know I know Latin.

I never did.

It's a good, it's a good language, isn't it?

Kelly Walsh High School.

Um in that classically or not.

But conduit is the Latin is bring together.

So that is what we are doing this evening is bringing together another revenue strategy for you all to consider in the form of industrial revenue bonds.

Now, with bonds, it's a it's a big word, but um we put together in the memo kind of an overview of what industrial revenue bonds or conduit debt is all about.

But Jill wrote an outstanding section, I must say, and the financial consideration section of the memo that I want to draw your attention to.

Um, bonds are called conduit debt because while the city is the issuer, and we'll talk about that tonight.

The city does not have any liability for the payment of the bonds, does not act as a guarantee or a credit enhancement, and the debt does not count as municipal debt on the city of Casper.

But it is an economic development tool that will help with potential funding at interest rates lower than commercial lending can provide.

So, yes, do we have interest by developers talking to us now about bonds?

We sure do.

So we want to bring you all forward kind of as to where we are, get some questions answered between myself, Jill, and Eric, and look at the opportunity to create with your assistance, truly a process for seeing the use of industrial revenue bonds in the city of Casper.

So starting through this, um I have got some faces over text.

So what we started off with is looking a little bit at an overview of what IRBs are, and again getting a company to pitch us a project.

And with this, again, we are many times looking at public improvements with some of these projects.

Point B a loan from an investor to a company, again, from an investor to a company, not the city of Casper doing a loan, like we've all seen recently with other institutions.

But the loan proceeds and repayment flow through the government issuer, which is required by statute.

That's us, the city, through a third-party trustee.

So again, um, just to ensure with the third party that we are seeing the payments, it is an often misunderstood incentive for both recruitment and expansion of existing companies.

Again, with economic development, not only are we always focused on recruiting new businesses to Casper, but we want to help existing ones expand, and we definitely want to see retention here, probably what it is not, otherwise, I was gonna be reading this.

Um, it is not a loan from the city to a company.

Now, have we done loans?

Yes, our industrial revenue bonds loans, no, not from the city to an individual company.

It is a way for the city to provide a loan guarantee.

What it is not, again, a way for the city to provide a loan guarantee for the company's project.

It is not a way for the city to provide credit enhancement or other financial banking, and it is not a direct investment by the city in a project.

It is not an obligation of the city.

So again, we're going to get into what that third party is all about.

The city council must vote to approve the issuance of IRBs.

Again, statutorily required.

The city does not lend its credit to an industrial revenue bond.

The company must secure its own purchaser of IRBs.

So we're talking about bigger projects here, as you can guess, where the company can purchase its own IRB.

And again, larger companies have that capability to have bond attorneys with them and on their payroll.

Unlike municipal bonds, no tax revenues are pledged to pay off the bonds.

So again, we're not talking municipal bonds, we're talking industrial revenue bonds in this case.

So why offered IRB?

We wanted to really hit the why.

They are to encourage again business expansion and recruitment, job growth, and capital investment because capital investment again creates the property taxes, it creates jobs with that, and we do see the improvement in our hope with the sales taxes.

States have industrial revenue bonds, but again, the way they are defined within the state of Wyoming is again differently than we see in other states.

And again, having done economic certification courses, it is amazing how different all the states are across the country in how these economic development centers are set up.

And you know, I did so much of it in Oklahoma, totally different than the state of Wyoming.

And again, we are very conservative, as you all well know on this.

But we've started to dig deeper on ways.

They are an inducement to encourage companies to locate or expand here in Casper, and we are truly interested in approaching this again with the City of Casper Council.

They will help Casper be competitive for capital-intensive projects by reducing risk and cost of locating here.

And I think we can all identify some capital-intensive projects that have located, not necessarily here directly in Casper, but in some of our surrounding surrounding municipalities, but also ones that have been pretty public about wanting to be here.

Some that are controversial in many cases, but capital intensive is a big driver for industrial revenue bonds.

Only projects can be financed with industrial revenue bonds.

The last bullet is the contrary to that.

It is not used for working capital.

It is used for projects.

And again, that would be the capital aspect, primarily a lot with the equipment that will be put into some of these large projects.

And again, the idea is to promote manufacturing, which is huge to our economy, economic, and again, that might be such things as workforce housing and commercial enterprises.

And again, with commercial enterprises, that's where we see our sales tax opportunities to expand in Casper.

So each project must be self-liquidating.

It is not intended to authorize us as a municipality to operate any of these entities.

But again, we want to induce and promote.

The projects must meet the following purposes.

These four points were identified in your council memo on the first page.

And again, I've hit on a lot of this, but it's employment, it's expanding tax base, not only for sales and property, but other tax revenues, even with manufacturing taxes and some of the more exclusive ones that go with different types of industries.

We are looking at again keeping our economy balanced among our major areas in the state of Wyoming being agricultural, natural resources, business commerce, and then just actually some international trade from within our city.

And then again, promoting the development of those same assets.

So not only recruiting, but again promoting and retaining companies that we already have in the Casper area and bonds can assist them in their growth opportunities.

Can a small business use an IRB?

Because I think we're going to be asked that probably tomorrow after a media story.

Does it have to be a huge, you know, like Microsoft type deal?

No, a small business is allowable, but again, not recommended for projects less than two million.

So that's pretty much the tipping point on the types and size of businesses that would be interested in industrial revenue bonds.

So they're used for larger capital projects.

And at that point, our next speaker is going to talk about the tax status.

Yeah, ask a question.

Okay.

On that on the second slide, you did on your your memo, you mentioned the third party.

Who I mean would that be in like we're gonna get into that.

Okay, the suspenses value.

You're difficult to follow anyway.

I know.

Sorry about that.

So um let's shift a little bit to the bonds themselves.

And I'm going to talk about um what they are and kind of how they're put together.

So first of all, there can be two types of IRBs.

Um they can be either taxable or non-taxable.

We talk about whether they're not taxable.

We're not referring to whether it's sales tax or property tax, we're talking about income tax.

So when we talk about whether a bond is taxable or not taxable, we're we're referring to bond interest and whether it's either subject to or not subject to federal income tax.

So while this is great for the investor because the investor gets their earnings now tax-free if it's a tax-exempt bond.

Um, the Internal Revenue Service, as you can imagine, um, regulates that.

Um, they want to make sure that the tax exempt bonds that are being issued are not going to impact um revenue that's being collected by the federal government.

So the project and its purpose are really what determines whether the bond is taxable or not taxable, and city does not make that determination.

It's determined by an external bond council who determine if it could be tax exempt.

So as I stated, the IRS regulates whether bonds can be issued tax exempt or not.

So the IRS allocates a tax exempt volume cap to each state.

So further, the governor also allocates the cap amongst um various governmental units.

So the current rules allocate 90 million dollars to WCDA of tax exempt bonds that can be issued.

Then there's also 30 million dollars, which goes to the Wyoming Student Loan Corporation and the remainder, which is approximately 180 million dollars to a general allocation pool.

These are not funds that the state sets aside to buy bonds, but this is an allocation cap.

So let me see around my notes.

The 180 million dollars is the general out of the general allocation pool would be available to projects here in Casper.

They could be assigned that 180 million dollars.

So WCDA is currently the only local or state entity which is utilizing our tax exempt volume cap.

So as you can see from the chart, um the state of Wyoming receives an annual allocation of approximately 300 million dollars.

That's in that second column.

WCDA can carry over their unused allocations.

If they don't spend it all in one year, they can carry it over for three years.

But other than that, there have not been any other allocations of this tax exempt volume cap since 2012.

Congress County had a project for 10 million dollars back in 2020.

Um it was intending to issue 10 million dollars of tax exempt bonds.

However, the project did not move forward and the bonds were never issued.

So when we think about um, is everybody going to come tomorrow and ask us to issue IRBs for them?

Probably not.

So this is one of the most underutilized um things that we can do.

Um so this um industrial revenue bonds have been on the books since 1965.

Over the past 20 years, there's only been three taxable IRBs that have actually been issued.

How do they work?

So IRBs are considered conduit debt, meaning that while the city is the issuer, we have no responsibility for these bonds.

The project cannot issue the bonds themselves, they must be issued by a governmental agency who is authorized to issue bonds.

This sets up a potential partnership between the project and the city.

The city is not giving taxpayer dollars to the project, instead, investors are purchasing the bonds and providing that funding.

The project is required to find its own investors, and in fact, the project can purchase its own bonds, and the state treasurer also purchases industrial revenue bonds.

So when we think about who pays off the bonds, I cannot say this enough.

The project is responsible for all payments on the bonds, not the government.

There are no taxpayer funds involved in the transaction.

State law provides that an IRB is not an obligation of the city under the constitution, and therefore there is no effect on the city's debt.

All bonds are payable solely out of the revenues of the project for which the bonds were issued.

And with that, I'm gonna turn it over to Eric and he can talk about the approval process.

What does that look like?

Thank you, Jill.

So just return to it's the down arrow.

Down arrow, perfect.

I'm gonna figure that out before I speak up.

Um thank you, Mayor Council.

So now I'll walk through the approval process, just a couple of items.

So as has been mentioned, these have been around for decades, and industrial revenue bonds in Wyoming are codified while these statute 15-1-701 and sec.

And there is uh there are a few Supreme Court decisions around industrial revenue bonds and holdings Little America versus uh Laramie County.

The Supreme Court said you have to comply with some of these findings that are laid out in statute, but how the local governmental entity makes those findings or gets to its its conclusion is is really up to the local government entity.

And so they they they basically left it open as to the process that the city uh could would go through to reach the requisite legal findings.

And so what uh if council is wanting to move forward with uh developing a program, we would uh prepare a policy that council could consider adopting through a resolution that would outline the approval process.

And so the way we would see this playing out uh would be that the company would meet with staff and that the staff would have that first uh interaction with with the developer.

Um to note that the company would be responsible for hiring the specific bond council, um, any any underwriters, any uh trustees, any anybody any professionals needed for the issuance of the bonds.

That this is a fairly specialized area of law and finance, and so certainly um we would not be providing that, and it would be at their cost.

Um we would propose that uh there there be an IRB uh committee of staff members, um community development, finance, and legal, much like you're seeing here tonight, um, that would receive the application, uh, and it would include certain things like the project description, um, the number of jobs, career opportunities, um, impacts on land use and and zoning, um, financing must have their financing secured.

Um, what would the economic impact uh and uh to the community be in terms of wages and benefits and tax generation, uh basic background information on the corporate structure and management and just general community benefits and a lot of that is specifically required uh to meet the statutory uh requirements.

We would propose that the process then um have the committees uh do a scored evaluation of the uh proposal.

And what we would also be proposing is that uh we engage the services of the uh University of Wyoming to do a fiscal impact analysis or an independent third party would uh pay for for that analysis.

The project would then be brought to council at work session, um, and we do believe that uh although not specifically called out and in statute that a public hearing would be held to receive uh public input if approved by the city council, uh attorneys would prepare the necessary closing documents, uh the mayor would execute um closing documents, uh, a resolution perhaps to move forward with the issuance, and at the closing, uh the purchaser would buy the bonds, and as had been previously explained, that could be a public uh purchase, private placement, and there's lots of different permutations.

Um we would also propose that there be fees, um, and that the typical fee would include a $2,500 application fee, and again, um these would not be small uh projects.

Um so we felt that that that amount would uh be reasonable given given the scope of work that the city staff would be doing.

Um, there would be a fiscal impact analysis fee of roughly between $1,800 to $2,500 and that uh bond council fees plus their own council and transaction costs uh would be borne by the developer.

So the total cost uh could range anywhere from $35,000 to $75,000, uh depending on the complexity of the of the financing and the process.

And we estimate that it would take uh anywhere between three to six months.

Um if approved by council, once the bond issuance uh takes place, there would be some accountability on a go forward basis.

Uh the company would be required to submit an annual report to the city, um, basically speaking to those statutory requirements of employment, local purchases, community involvement, etc.

So the approval process, you know, currently in place in a lot of communities allows for lots of public input.

Again, we would uh propose holding a public uh uh hearing.

And I guess the the main takeaway on this slide, and that's why it's all in bold is that Casper City Council has the final authority whether to issue them or not.

Um even if staff says they check all the boxes, um, that we can make the there's there's evidence to support the findings, it's really up to council at the end of the day to say, you know what, this this project is is not a good fit for our community, so we're not going to approve this, or conversely, it is a good fit, and so we're gonna approve this.

So the discretion lies solely with council, and and you have the the final say on whether any industrial revenue bonds are issued.

And with that, uh that is my part of the presentation.

I think that brings the entire presentation to a close, and we'd certainly be happy to answer any questions you all might have.

Amber.

Uh two questions uh to start.

The first one, I'm just a little bit confused about what is the advantage to an investor to purchase these versus just direct investment in in the company.

I I can understand the investment or the advantage to the the project, but it sounds like there's really no assurances or anything from the city.

So, what does an investor gain by taking this route?

They're looking for tax exempt um bonds.

So when you're an investor and you're investing in these types of bonds the advantage is really um I don't pay any income tax on my earnings from those bonds.

So if I'm getting a four percent return on a $15 million dollar bond I'm getting that all tax free.

And if they aren't determined to be tax exempt then is there an advantage or not as much to the investor really at that point in time you're looking more at the project.

So the project likes these types of bonds because typically it's cheaper than going out for commercial financing.

Okay.

Thanks and then my second question is um it doesn't sound like there's a lot of pressure on the state cap at this point but say in some sort of future world does that just get automatically applied to the state cap is there some sort of approval process that we have to go through with the state to to say like yes we're happy to have this under our cap umbrella or does it just happen automatically mayor council so that's that's a little bit uh in into the weeds so um my understanding of the process is you would have outside bond council that would have to render opinion uh an IRS opinion as to the tax exemption or or a taxable nature of the bonds I'm not exactly sure how mechanically that then is transmitted I didn't see anything in statute that talks about an approval process or anything like that.

That's really frankly where we would lean on outside council to to guide us okay so a couple of thoughts on page 19 on the slides you mentioned the fees so um I don't I would agree on a five million project um you know the 2500 but um 50 million dollar project is not deserve more scrutiny in the process and have to pay more um of a fee because in my mind the city um has is gonna have more invested uh with staff time uh to produce this but um and that that's probably for uh another another day uh discussion if we move forward um on on the final page you know the statement there is uh the final authority rests with the city council to get sued um so you go through the process and I'll use an example that the county is turned down on uh financing tool which I believe was the industrial revenue bonds um uh for the hospital not not for banner but for uh commerce county and so if we go through with the process I can in council says um you know that that it doesn't work for us if the vote is uh say five four and we turn it down what's to stop uh that war from suing us um truly if it's in at that point in my mind on that particular project that's a very political charge instance and I would vote against it because we could banner could lose its designation uh as far as the trauma center in the emergency room and it's estimated loss from the federal government because of that designation between 10 and 14 million dollars so because of that I would definitely vote vote against it and then therefore in my mind setting us up to get sued six questions yeah let me if you don't mind let me mayor counselor um can I if I can address your first question which is regarding the fees so um no matter the size of the project everyone who comes forward will have to go through the application process so that 2500 was really to reimburse us for staff time for evaluating those um applications beyond that the city doesn't have a whole lot of other um things that it's going to be doing so beyond that you're gonna be looking to bond counsel you're gonna be looking to underwriters you're gonna be looking to trustees all of which are paid for by the applicant so um I believe um no matter the size of the project the um time invested by city staff should be the same so that's why that 2500 was kind of a

Beyond that, the city doesn't have a whole lot of other um things that it's going to be doing.

So beyond that, you're going to be looking to bond counseling, you're going to be looking to underwriters, you're going to be looking to trustees, all of which are paid for by the applicant.

So I believe no matter the size of the project, the time invested by city staff should be the same.

So that's why that $2,500 was kind of a flat amount.

Can I respond to that?

Sure.

Totally agree.

Totally agree.

However, if you're coming with a five million dollar ask versus a $50 million, size, mere size of the project and the paperwork at that level may be similar.

Does the city not deserve a little more money?

Um based on the spiding scale, say five thousand dollars.

Um I I think for our citizens, we ought to be able to more than recoup the investment of staff time.

Just my opinion.

So mayor, counselor, um, we can set the fee to be whatever the council determines is appropriate, whether you want it on a sliding scale.

Again, we weren't looking to make money on it, we were just looking to recover our costs.

I'm looking to make money.

Fair enough.

So mayor counsel, then to the second question.

So the somewhat glib answers we could always get sued, right?

And so the the real question is is would they have any case that they can prevail on?

And I would say no.

Um there's no there's no vested right that any company or developer has to demand the issuance of industrial revenue bonds.

And so for all the reasons that you laid out in your highhetical, that that would be your basis for uh uh denying it.

So could we get sued?

Yes, but um uh my reading of the case law and the statutes is that the discretion always is vested in the elected officials to determine what is best for the community, and so uh really the the intent of the policy is that the legislature has given us a statute that says at a minimum you've got to you've got to make findings as to these four or five things, and so how do we in an objective way approach uh application or somebody that comes to the city that is going to request that issuance?

So the intent would be to put that process together, but again, always being 100% cognizant that that it's the decision is is vested in the sound discretion of counsel to either approve or or or not.

So I I don't believe that there would be legal liability for denying uh an application.

Um that doesn't mean we wouldn't have sued judgment.

Yeah, appreciate the information.

I'll admit though, I'm a little slow, struggle to keep up.

Uh I'm still trying to wrap my head around how this works.

And so um, you know, was hoping you could give me like a case study of what you think this looks like.

I was trying to do some side research over here, and I'm still struggling to understand.

So the investors they purchase the bonds from us, the city, and then uh say it's a manufacturer, um, they want to build a manufacturing facility, fill the CNC machines or something like that.

Is the city is the city's name on the title?

Do we own those machines and they're simply leasing them from us over the course of those bonds?

Purchase.

I'm sorry, yes, and um, so the statute uh provides two two different mechanisms, and there is a mechanism where uh the city could actually take title to property and then like a lease arrangement.

Um but then in the last seven ten, it says, however, as an alternative method, you know, no city or local government must take title to it.

So so again, the city is the issuer, um, but we're just it's just a pass through essentially, and the real benefit is uh especially poignant if they're they're tax exempt and so that allows the developer to get financing at a lower interest rate typically, and then the investor is getting return that's um non-taxable, right?

If it's determined that it's a taxable bond issuance, um that's uh Ms.

Johnson's uh point becomes less advantageous, uh certainly to the investor.

Um rates probably gonna be a little bit higher, but then it's a business decision on the part of the developer if that's the best way of finance.

So if you follow up if I could um so this sounds distinct from tax increment financing.

I felt like I understood that pretty quick, and then I feel like this is similar but also different.

Uh so I understand TIFF financing, tax increment financing in the sense that we are for foregoing at least for a period of time, future uh you know, increased property tax values.

Walk me through how how is this different?

What is the you know, the formula?

Uh what is the city giving up in potential revenues for what period of time, when can we expect the ROI kind of thing?

Sorry.

Yeah, that's fair, counselor.

Um great question.

Actually, um, so if we were to take um title to the project, um that would make it a government project and we would forego probably property tax.

So when the counselor um talked about not taking title to the project, that kind of relieves that so we wouldn't be giving up anything at that point because the property would remain with the uh the company, and they would continue to pay property tax.

So that is something that we looked at as far as what would the city give up by doing this, and if we decided that we did not want to take um ownership of any of it, then the company would continue to pay the taxes that it would be required to pay.

And just to add to that, so we we've had fairly lengthy discussions about what is the downside for the city.

I really struggled to see a big downside.

Um tax dollars aren't pledged to service the debt because there's a default, there's no recourse against the city.

Um it's just basically staff time, and then if we're recouping that uh through a fee, um, really the city is made whole, but the community is improved because now we've helped through this conduit financing, um, spur this economic development that would ostensibly increase employment, increase the tax base, etc.

So it's just been a very underutilized tool in the state of Wyoming, although I'm looking at other states, even here in the Mountain West or Southwest, I mean it's much more utilized in local.

Follow up, I think we know uh thanks there.

I was trying to come up with reasons why um, you know, what pitfalls there could be for the city.

You've satisfied my concern that there's any financial risk.

You know, uh Jill, you had to re you had to reiterate multiple times in your presentation, no taxpayer dollars.

Um you can say that as many times as you want, but uh there's gonna be people out there that if the city is the bond issuer, they think we're bankrolling the whole thing, it's a city project.

And so I do agree that um the application process, you know, does necessitate a degree of scrutiny that we do need to be selective about our projects, like Pat was kind of reiterating in regards to the uh summit hospital one that the county turned down.

Um, you know, we will have some reputational um capital that we're giving up for these projects.

So I do think uh we need to be careful about which ones you know we're offering for this, even if we have no financial risk, there's absolutely gonna be people in the community that tie us to the project and think it's a city project, and so we just I think they need to be mindful of that.

But okay, thank you.

Um two questions again.

Um the first is um is it typical it's to say the the total project cost is 20 million dollars?

Is it typical that this type of financing is providing for a portion of that project?

The whole project just depends on the project.

The inquiries we've gotten would be for the whole project.

Okay, then it can be towards infrastructure development, for instance, and ultimately the city could take over that infrastructure afterwards.

So I mean, this is where we were talking about ownership versus yeah, whether we hold title to something.

So yes, it would be for the whole project.

That's really just my second question.

Um the determination is being made between it being eligible to be tax exempt or not, is that predominantly if whatever results from the project is owned by the public or owned by the retained by the private company?

Is that I mean defining line typically or um you are absolutely correct, your counselor.

Um the purpose of whatever the asset is that is being created, is what will determine whether it's tax exempt or not?

And again, that is not something that I would ever feel comfortable making that determination.

And again, that is not something that I would ever feel comfortable making that determination bond council would do though.

Okay, thanks.

Any other questions?

Yeah, is there groups standing in line wanting to um finance in this manner?

Do we have developers that are currently wanting to use this tool?

Mr.

Mayor, Counselor, we um we do have one at this point that is expressed interest, but again, staff is also looking at this on maybe projects that we might bring forward also and be able to self-um initiate with some opportunities.

So right now we do have one interested party that's come forward, and that has allowed us to start to explore this.

And again, it was part of it was one of the 23 revenue strategies that the committee was working on and looking at special districts, and again, we've done some of that with the URA kind of concept.

We're looking again always at grants.

Um, we've even, you know, there for a while, uh, new markets tax credits where it was the ticket item, and we were able to see development here in Casper with topic or revenue strategies like that, which is how we got um Fire Station One redeveloped back in 2004.

So again, looking at um and tax credits again with the Wyoming National Bank building, which was more on a low-income housing tax credits, but tax credits one way that works, but bonds are again something that we would like to explore with your I mean with your approval, um, and to see if we might be able to uh take that forward for the sake of the ASP.

So a follow-up to that, are we working with advanced Casper in conjunction with this or solely on our own?

Mr.

Mayor Counselor, we probably would bring advanced Casper in.

Again, the opportunity to do that fiscal impact analysis that we referenced is one of the steps.

That is something we used to do when I was with CADA was to do that on any company that was interested in Casper.

When we think back to Boise Cascade, we did fiscal impact analysis.

We back with WL Plastics when they came in in 2002 again, fiscal impact analysis.

So that is an opportunity for a partnership with our economic development entity.

Excellent with that.

Excellent, you got it.

Uh yeah, polypipe was another one.

Um a lot of that when that came through.

Just to dovetail on that, but to make it clear, in order to issue industrial rapid bonds, it's got to be a local municipality or county, and so we can sort of be part of the Lance Casper for aspects, but the city would have to be the issue.

Thank you.

Yes, I was more on the processment here.

Thank you.

Anything else are we for direction?

So it sounds like the direction there uh is for us to explore and to give you guys the pre-like to counselor.

What we would like to do is to bring forward the um the policy via a resolution which would outline uh the steps that were presented this evening to allow us to uh kind of get going with this, but again, via resolution um with the uh policy council comfortable with making that decision to move forward.

Oh fantastic.

One last point, I think the on the hospital deal, uh, my recollection was that was gonna be around 35 million, and they estimated I can't remember the term if it was uh 15 or 20 years, but it was gonna save them first uh right around 10 million over the life of the project because it would be tax exempt, so uh in their financing, so give you an idea of what that saves the developer.

So all right, thank you guys, appreciate it.

Thank you for presenting all right models.

Thank you, Mayor.

This is the wonderful time when council gets to hear from our three enterprises on the proposed rate structure for the next two years.

So tonight you will hear from each individually about their proposal for increasing rates for those enterprises to be financially stable and sustainable into the future.

While you will hear some discussion tonight on proposed increases that range from three percent to 15% in some cases, I do want you to understand that we tried to uh factor the collective impact of all of the rate increases among the three enterprises and quantify that in a way that would help you understand what the impact to the average rate payer would be in total to the increases.

And so again, we might be talking about large percentage numbers or or it sounds like large percentage numbers, um, but in the end, the average impact to uh the average utility customer uh for the proposed increase um for next year would be 12.75 cents a month uh for the following year an additional ten dollars and sixty six cents a month.

Um, and while we recognize that that will have impact on families and and that any rate increase could be a struggle for some in our community.

Um I want you to listen to the presentation, keeping in mind uh that we have deferred capital problems uh within our utilities and infrastructure systems, and in order to address those capital challenges, we need to bring our rates to a level where into the future we are able to replace that infrastructure for reliable utility service and sanitation service.

And so with that, I'm gonna turn the discussion over to Mr.

Beamer, our interim public services director, and then he will have uh his enterprise managers present their proposals.

Thank you, Zam, there council.

I wish the high end was 15%, but we're looking at a rate increase of 34%.

Good news is I won't be quoting state statutes.

And there is no Latin quiz.

So that's the good news.

The bad news is we are talking about rates, as Elena mentioned.

We're talking about solid waste, both the refuse fund and the bellfield fund, as well as the sewer fund and the water fund.

Uh, we're looking to adopt a rate resolution for the next to establish rates for the next two years, beginning in January of 2026, sort of believe for 2026 already, with a night, another adjustment in January of 2027.

Rate increases for solid waste are relatively modest from zero to three percent, whereas water and sewer we're looking to achieve a replacement strategy in accordance with industry industry standards.

Um, as you can imagine, there's a lot of work that went into these rate models.

So I'm thanking Cindy and Krista and Ethan.

I'd like to thank Jill and Pete for all their work putting these together.

Um Cindy will talk about her pro forma for both Bellfield and Solid Waste.

So Krista and Ethan will present a PowerPoint presentation outlining the scope of their systems as well as some justification for the rate increase, as well as an opportunity for you to uh consider if you want to consider your continue the subsidy of one cent into those funds.

So we'll show you what those rate increases might change if you wish to fund something else, such as streets with that one cent funding in the future.

I'm sure something we can make an argument for parts and rank, and I'm sure the chiefs can make arguments for placing fire.

Um but again, a two-year uh resolution we're looking to bring to council next Tuesday night.

And with that, I'll turn it over to Cindy to talk about solid waste.

And again, if there's any questions, feel free to ask them as you go, but ultimately at the end, will it stop the rates that you think are acceptable?

Ron Mayor Pacheco counselors, it is always a pleasure to talk trash with y'all.

So to begin um with refuse, which I want to thank Pete and my co-worker Cheryl.

They did all the work behind this, and they're awesome co-workers in refuse.

Um, we're proposing a three percent increase in 26 and 27.

And as I say in the memo, um, that hopefully you received that three percent average in Natrona County in the state of Wyoming is kind of what's going on right now with inflation.

So the majority of what we spend money on refuse is our trash trucks and our payroll.

Um so it looks good.

We're coming out of that slope where we're right on the reserves of where our minimum bank account should be, and we're coming out of it in 2027.

So we thought that was a good recommendation for y'all to look at on that.

And in the rate resolution, the draft one that we propose to, which is attachment C.

Um, we also have some cleanup on a couple other rates in there that our current services.

We currently provide locks for trash containers for commercial folks.

We provide at the request if they want us to refurbish or clean their trash containers.

Um, and we also have an incentive um for them to keep their trash corrals open with no cars blocking it in the early morning when we're there.

Um, so we wanted to establish that in the rate resolution what we're currently doing.

So with that, that's what we're proposing for refuse.

Yeah, okay, it's our crowd.

Thanks, Cindy.

Uh can you remind me?

I was trying to refresh my memory, the large expenditure for uh this fiscal year.

It's not large expenditure right there between 25 and 26.

The drawdown.

That was the first building.

No, uh correct you, Andrew.

That was the bail fill fund.

Oh can you remind me?

Certainly.

Um aspect of the performance is always that we budget to spend all the money in a given year.

So this particular case.

We budgeted to spend all of our capital money that we had.

Budgeted in 2025.

Even though we don't, because inevitably Cindy's case, a lot of that money is trucks.

Trucks haven't arrived yet.

So we actually end up with a lot more fund balance at the end of FY25.

Yeah, actually we actually need.

Therefore, it now shows up as a huge expense now in 2026, because those trucks were now expected to buy 2026.

And so that's what we spent the down now on.

So you see that that huge drop there in that first year.

Because all that capital, which we had hoped to get last year.

Now we're hoping to get a good time.

So that's what the expense is.

Thank you.

Other questions?

Yeah, so that I can better understand.

So the regional concept that we accepted kind of pushed by the state.

Um Douglas comes up here, I believe.

Uh Rollins, um, and then outlaying areas.

We accept all of that.

Um is this rate new rate model taken to effect those those fees um uh from those other other communities being trucked in, or do our contractors, our ratepayers pay the same um as Rollins does as an example.

Your Honor, Counselor.

Refuse is different than the bail fill fund, um, which I'm gonna get to that next, um, counselor.

Um, in this this is absolutely just the city of Casper within the city of Casper limits.

We provide trash collection.

Yeah, so these rates um, which there are some corrections in the memo in the rate resolution that people pointed out to me, but our current monthly trash rate for our residential customers in Casper is $31.70 a month.

We're asking it to go up to $32.65, which is a 95 cent increase per month, a three percent, and then the next year and 98% or cent increase the following year.

So they are very modest.

Um, and next we'll talk about the bail fill, which is the regional.

Yeah, sorry, is the 2030 um target there?

cent increase per month of three percent and then the next year and ninety-eight percent or center eight cent increase the following year so they are very modest then um and next we'll talk about the bail fill which is the regional yeah sorry is the 2030 um target there is that trucks between 2030 and 2035 excuse me and counselor it includes trucks and it includes in 2030 saving money to build a building to store all the trucks um we currently have one but our fleet has outgrown that building so that's showing our target to have enough money in our savings account to actually afford to buy another building in 2030 cell replacement that's the next okay somebody else gonna be on the be you want to uh rate model um that Pete and Cheryl put together and uh the rate resolution um by the way attachment A has a rate survey for trash collection and you'll notice uh that was done by the state of Wyoming that our rate increase is still below the average rate that the communities in Wyoming have and um on the bail fill side as promised when we purchase solid waste buildings and land we are not recommending a rate increase um for January but we are in January 2027 to match inflation of the three percent so that would take our 81 dollars a ton up to ninety one dollars a ton which is still less than the average landfill owner in Wyoming charges that's not supported by mill levies and to answer the counselor's question um about regional customers we do have in the current rate resolution a 30% surcharge for out of county customers and our current out of county customers under contract agreement with you all had a capital buy-in fee and that was developed back in 2006 and nine between there's when we did those um agreements and the reason was is because the one and only time the council has allocated the extra one cent to a solid waste project was to build that first line landfill sale and it was a half million dollars so we have recovered to date that half million dollars through capital buy-in through outside community buy-in agreements and haulers who aren't under agreements have been paying the 30 percent so in that rate resolution draft I'm saying we don't need that 30% anymore it paid off of the how all of our customers should pay the same um we do offer rebates um to outside county um haulers because they don't participate um in our hazardous waste program they have their own hazardous waste programs um and they also some communities the town of bags bag their own waste which we have a fee for bagging so we have established in agreements rebates for out of county so that won't change I just wanted you to be aware of that that we put it in the resolution that we've done that in the past so I am asking now for everybody to have the same fee outside and inside county customers who come to the landfill so how do they contribute to the building a new cell so um right now every single customer pays a standard the 88 dollars a ton so we we set our projections I think it's 2036 now that we're projecting that we need our next cell so if everybody's paying the same shipping fee they're all paying into our savings account to get to that amount in 2020 2036 to build that cell so every single customer pays for the new sale including the out of county that hopefully I explained that well it did but it's not what I believe it it should be um I'm I'm thinking and I know they have additional uh trucking expenses to get stuff up here for enrollments but um honestly that's not the city of Casper's fault um but um I guess I'm I'm just thinking um they should pay a bit more honor and counselor um so the reason

Um but um I guess I'm I'm just thinking they should pay a bit more honor and counselor.

Um so the reason behind not charging them more is regional landfills are advantageous to us and to other communities because it's like Sam's Club when you build in quantity, it lowers the rates for everybody, and for us to be competitive because they are paying anywhere from $25 a ton to $50 a ton to transport it for us to be competitive.

We need to share equally in that cost um to get that lower rate.

If we didn't have any of the out-of-county people, our rates would be higher, absolutely higher.

And so they're getting a lower tipping fee by coming to us, and we're getting a lower tipping fee by allowing them to come to us.

So it's a regional model to make it advantageous for everybody, and that was the general concept when the legislators put the landfill remediation program together and the regionalization program together that that was the idea is that we all share in the costs and keep rates low for everybody.

Clarifications, yeah, what call thanks, Mayor.

Uh Sydney, uh, to make sure I understood correctly.

We were talking about uh ridding a surcharge that out of county haulers currently pay, right?

Right.

Um I assume you've done an analysis on that, like what what kind of expected revenues do we look at?

You know, what's the trade-off there?

Uh do we expect more people to be coming to the landfill from out of county because we've dropped the surcharge?

And does that um will that be more than what we expect to lose in revenue from money we've typically um gotten from the surcharge?

Like uh I assume we've done an analysis about that.

Uh Your Honor, Counselor, uh absolutely the reason I'm recommending taking that 30% surcharge is because we actually will, I believe, get more out-of-county haulers coming to us um if we lower that to pain price that we were in paying and the original intent in that 30% surcharge was to make up for our one cent money that we infused in that half million, and we've done that, so absolutely um I truly believe we're gonna get more money because we're gonna cost less.

Um, and we do compete with Gillette.

Um, and interestingly enough, Rollins could decide to go to Colorado.

So I always am trying to make it as low as possible for those out of county people because they keep our rates low.

Um, we would truly have a much higher tipping fee if we didn't have the waste coming from out of county.

Thank you.

Between more acres of land do we have in the sand dune up there?

Your Honor Counselor's excellent question.

I get asked that.

Um we were very fortunate uh many years ago that Stuck and Offs um allowed us to purchase uh 1700 acres of their property for future landfill sites.

So it's kind of a double-edged sword.

Um it's really an advantage that we have all this property because a lot of landfill owners pay millions of dollars for the property, and we got it from Steck and Offs for almost nothing.

Um and at the same time when trying to promote landfill diversion because we have so much land, you know, it's it's yeah, we can bury it.

Um where other communities on the east and west coast, they don't have land, and they have to divert, and so uh it's a true incentive not having land to promote not putting stuff in the landfill.

So it's a double-edged sword, but it's certainly I like because um we have a very good that we have so many acres of future land available for landfilling.

1700 trivia question how many acres does it take to build a cell.

Your honor counselors, it depends on your design.

Um our particular design, we started out with 13 acres, and this last cell we did just 22 acres because it's gonna last a much longer time, and it always costs more in the future for new landfill cells.

So we just refined our numbers, and um, we're thinking in 2036, which seems like a long time.

I'll need our next cell.

So that particular one's 22 acres right now, that new one.

Go to go.

And how long is that one expected us to last?

What's the life, the timeline, the lifeline?

Uh git, um, your honor, uh, counselors, as we proceeded through the first cells, they're the most expensive and last the least amount of time.

Um, so this one we five years, then seven years, and now we're looking at almost 10.

So it will be like a 12 to 15 year life when we get to that cell six.

So uh we certainly are thinking of the future generations mining well with the capital money on landfill cells.

I was just I was curious, so I took our 1700 acres divide by 22, which was our most recent uh times the 12 years we expect to get out of it.

So in a thousand years, we're gonna have to be wearing so your honor counselors I have a really funny story about the thousand years because the Tom Forslin used to tell me don't tell people we have a thousand years of life.

Nobody can comprehend Cindy a thousand years of life.

So I'd say it's gonna last a long time, maybe a hundred or two hundred years.

So, but the math proves we're gonna have it for a very very long time.

You're correct, counselor.

Thank you.

So see, Andrew, Andrew said the same thing to me.

A thousand years you can't forget.

You you'll be pushing a button in your kitchen and yeah, yeah, right.

That would be awesome.

So, but you're correct.

The map today is over a thousand years.

Thank you, Cindy.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Always a pleasure.

All right.

Council, thank you for the opportunity to come up and present this information to you.

Mr.

Green mentioned we did spend a lot of time putting this proposal together, this recommendation together for you.

Try to look at all the information that we had available to us to come up with a good viable plan.

Um this is the water rate setting for the city of Casper for 2026-2027, and I just want to lead into it with the city of Casper owns and operates three over 381 miles of water main.

So that's converted to feet over two million lineal feet of water main.

This is uh a graphic that kind of represents the age of our system uh in groups of 10 years.

So as you can see, we have quite a bit of main that is between 40 and 50 years old and 50 years old.

A lot of map uh footage is non-PVC pipe, so non-PVC bike being cast iron pipe, ductal iron especially cement things with well, obviously, everything has fixed light.

The metal pipes are the ones we tend to see the most breaks in.

So we do utilize leak tracking, and it's really a key factor in determining the priority of the water main replacements.

We utilize the leak history, the health and safety impacts, the impacts to our customers, and the overall impacts to the system is it is a network of pipes connected together that provide this water to our systems.

Uh as you can see the water main in the map there, it is blue for PVC and the orange represents non-PVC pipe.

I pull up our leak data.

You can see that a lot of the leak data or the leaks coincide with the metal pipe in the ground.

Uh we have seen increases in the number of breaks that we're experiencing annually.

This is the our water main break counts annually over the last 15 years.

And you can see in 24 and in 2025, we did see a significant number more breaks than we saw 10 or 15 years ago.

Just to kind of share what a water main break tends to look like.

Here's a short video of a water main break.

This is the fifth link on this 1976 section of ductware pipe.

There's no noise, the noise is impressive.

It's loud, you can imagine.

But not every break looks like this, obviously, but a lot of breaks are larger breaks that end up potentially causing damage to private property.

This is a cast iron pipe from 1963.

This is a cast iron pipe from 1960.

You can see there's a pretty big difference in the condition of those pipes.

Similarly, ductile iron, this is uh a 1975 ductile iron pipe.

You can see the writing is still intact.

Looks like it's a brand new pipe.

This is also a 1975 ductile iron pipe.

It's primarily why we utilize leaked data to prioritize means because that's how we get the best understanding.

What's family?

Uh our proposed fiscal year 26 priority water main replacement project comprises three street sections that we're placing main.

You can see the years or the age of those pipe sections and right there 55 years, 70 years, 54 years.

I think between these three sites, we've had over 12 main breaks.

And I replaces about 4800 feet of water.

The average useful life of water main is 100 years.

Industry guidance from the EPA, so regulator, and the AWWA American Waterworks Association, which are the industry experts.

They recommend a minimum of one percent of the water system be replaced annually.

So 1% replacement equates to a hundred year replacement cycle.

In 100 years, we will replace the entire system.

So 1% of our system is approximately 20,000 feet of water main.

As you can see, we we've not ever hit the 100-year replacement line, which is 20,000 feet of main.

So you can see that there was a pretty big increase in the cost of installation of water main since COVID.

Currently, we're anticipating or estimating that the average price or the current price per foot is about $300.50.

So to look again at a hundred-year replacement cycle at $350 per lineal foot, 20,000 feet of water main can be replaced for $7 million per year.

So far, that's only considering water main in the ground.

We also have 23 water tanks, 16 booster stations.

We have fleet and equipment that we utilize to repair water mains when it does break.

We also have structure maintenance and repair for those booster stations and our distribution roach.

So to look at some uh comparisons to other municipalities in my only of where our current water rates lie, you can see that our existing water rates for 8,000 gallons of water usage, which is slightly higher than the average winter time usage for our customers.

$43.38.

That's a monthly.

And then that proposal, we do see that we need to uh increase rates about 8% for the next three years, followed by six and a half percent rate increases for four or five years to kind of ease into matching our capital expenses with our reviews or our total expenses with our revenues.

Uh this graphic is from the Waterworth software that uh we recently invested in to help us evaluate our expenses and revenues and come up with great recommendations for the council.

So it's different than the one that you'll see for Krista and the one that you saw first in the so how that looks in comparison uh after an eight percent rate increase, we're looking at about 46 and 85 cents for that same 8,000 gallons of water, still pretty low compared to other entities within our state.

This is the uh option with one cent funding.

So if we continue to maintain one cent funding at its current rate supplementing water, the water fund, we can make our revenues and expenses match with uh five and a half percent rate increase for about five years, and after that it kind of weans towards inflationary increases.

Uh this is how that comparison comes up compared to other entities, 4578 per month at the average eight or eight thousand gallons per month, and uh the next graphic is all three of those combined, so you can see the existing rate the hundred year with one cent funding and the hundred year without one cent funding.

Do you think can you please remind us the one cent funding?

Is it two million a year?

I think it's 2.175.

2.175.

Yeah, go ahead.

Do you have anyone with any historical knowledge about the rationale for supplementing this enterprise and other with one cent funds whenever that decision was made?

Yes.

I'm counselor, I might be able to help.

It's always very popular when you put out your one cent surveys with the citizens.

They like low and they like to have their water and sewer bills low.

And who doesn't?

Um, but it's not reflective of the true cost of providing that service.

Um but it is a very popular with a citizen.

So when you put out your surveys, it always comes back, release, fire, water, sewer, and then it drops down, parks and rec and you know, community outreach and all that kind of stuff.

So it's it's always been very popular when you put out your one cent survey.

Yeah, whatever.

Um, do you have a sense?

I guess my sense when I've only been around for month, two cycle of this.

Um, so like the survey, it's I don't know that it indicates clearly to folks that there's that it's lowering their bills.

I think like, yes, water is important to folks, so they're gonna mark water as being a high priority.

I've never gotten the sense that that the question is do you want lower water rates with this money, or do you just want water to work for you?

Uh, right.

So I do you have a sense of um the specific specificity of that question as it's been asked over the multiple cycles that it's been asked.

Counselor, very good question.

I've never been privy to that survey and and the wordage can impact how people vote, I think for certain things.

So I don't know how that has been worded in the past.

I don't think it's specifically stated.

Do you want to keep your water and sewer bills low by X amount of dollars by supporting one cent going to that fund?

I don't think it's been ever that explicit.

See if I can find the good copy.

Currently, this is one year of the eight percent versus eight percent, eight percent, eight percent.

Mayor counselor, very good question.

We we take a look at our capital needs out for 10 years.

We look at our and this is assuming that we're gonna get to replace one percent of our system.

You can say, No, you need to change it to 200 years.

We oh, we think we you can live with 300 years.

I won't be around to know if that's sustainable or not.

Right now, what we have funded is not sustainable.

I can tell you that.

We have to increase funding and replacement strategy in order to provide a reliable system.

Um but we look at ongoing capital expenses, primarily waterman replacements, threw stations, water tanks, fleet, all that kind of stuff, and that's all built in the model and projected out.

The crystal ball gets very cloudy the further out you go in the future, which is why we will probably come back, not me, but Ethan and Cindy and Krista, and to see how is our crystal ball performing based off our expectations just to give you an update.

We don't look into establish rates though for the next two calendar years, but we'll give you an update a year from now to show you this is how it's actually performing, but it gets cloudy the further out you go, which is why we're gonna set them to two years and then we'll come back and go.

Yeah, our projections are pretty good.

I think what we had projected is still applicable, or we have to make other adjustments.

I want to still I think the next slide is questions, but yeah.

So Mayor, I did too late, but I I did reach out to Paul Bertolio, who I consider kind of an expert from his years on city council and with regional water before it was regional, and I didn't get a call back, and I didn't um uh only because I I don't think he had kept up with all of this over the years, like Paul had.

But um, I would be curious if you ran any of this past like Paul Bertolio or um well I did spend a lot of time developing this information and talking about the number of city staff, but I did not necessarily reach out to Paul.

But mayor counselor, to your point, this model does take into account the wholesale rates, the city pays from regional water.

So that isn't included in this rate model, just to make that clear, yeah.

Other questions is necessarily uh specifically for Ethan, but um I mean to me an eight percent increase to me, I mean, it just I think it makes it incumbent on us to really take a hard look at that one cent money, but I guess my question is, and again it's not specifically for Ethan, but can we make that decision in a timely enough manner to offset this rate increase if it's supposed to go into effects in January of 26?

Um an 8%.

I mean, is that gonna happen?

Whether we can't make that decision about tax, right?

So we could a year from now, right?

Counselor.

So we are currently in one set number 17, right?

And we have committed one 17 dollars to water and sewer through the four-year duration.

Okay, so that cut-off would not occur until one cent eighteen.

Thank you.

If that was the choice of yeah, thank you.

Have we given any consideration in the model to um a phased approach?

I I my personal belief is that the enterprise funds should be enterprise funds and should be a self-contained fund that supports itself eventually.

But I also I think we've worked to not see dramatic fluctuations in our rates and to really try to achieve gradual um rate changes.

And so have we given any thought to some sort of period of time uh by which we reduce the independence of the fund on one cent over time here, counselor?

The uh the two scenarios that I worked up are essentially we continue one cent or we don't continue.

So I did not put together a scenario where we wean ourselves up on one cent.

But it could be done theoretically, I imagine.

And it would land somewhere in between those two.

Okay, yeah, yeah.

So according to the memo, this is a two-year um suggestion for council.

Why set the rates two years in a row?

Should we do just a year or um I guess just a question?

Counselor.

Historically established rates for two-year increments.

And certainly will the council to determine if one year is more comfortable or appropriate.

And in the case of water, I may suggest that you do consider that given that there is a study underway right now to implement tiered rates.

And that could be something that you consider at the time probably this time next year.

But that is completely up to the council.

If you want to establish the two-year rate, we would be prepared for public education to implement in the next rate setting period, which would be a seven or for January 28 implementation.

If we went the full two years, and you could implement tiered rates at that time.

So what does the tiering effect really mean?

Commercial is that commercial rates.

Leave some of the burden to our lower using customers, as well as discourage excessive or wasteful use of water irrigation purposes of whatever accessing once water form.

I wouldn't say across all the enterprises tonight, but perhaps in the specific case I would support just doing one year.

Yeah, because of the variety of unknowns that were contending with.

So I'm I'm not worried about actually when I finally read the packet I Saturday night, I think it was I was like, what the hell is this and it's to go into effect in January?

I was like, that's uh pretty pretty good leap at 8%.

Totally understand the logic and methodology and preparing all of that, but um and I'm I'm not concerned about the political ramifications.

I guess that that's not part of um my concern, but um so I'd you know and I hate to think the people I've I've basically talked to about water and trash bills that Jill has helped with um most of those folks are on a very fixed income, and this would be what did you figure on your bill and overall increase.

Well, from if I calculate correctly, miss gonna end up being my overall utility bill is gonna be up like 20% from a year ago uh a year ago at this time too, January 26th, with combined rate increases 20% in two years or in a year feels a little more than a year feels burdensome to start always still have to sort of talk about that and yeah, I fully appreciate that we're under the estate average and and there's I can talk about that later, but uh deferred maintenance and so forth seems to be true, and we can't compare us to Rawlins because they have neglected that system, they have wood pipes and coming off of their collection from way outside of town and um so we've thankfully done much better job.

And we can't compare us to raw ones because they have neglected that system.

They have wooden pipes.

Um their collection way outside of town.

So we've thankfully done much better job.

Um other questions for one of the same.

I didn't mean any offense by um Paul Bertolio, but his knowledge of these systems and his length of time on council.

Um, I think that's why Ray reached out to his for his opinion on this.

But I didn't hear back thanks to Kelly.

Thanks, Beth.

Mayor Counselors, it's good to speak to you again about wastewater, but more specifically this time sewer.

I know that in the past we have focused our discussions on regional wastewasher, which includes the wastewater treatment plant and regional sewer systems, and those needs are high, but one of the things that we're waiting for are the results of the master plan at the wastewater plant to see the direction that we really need to go in spending out there.

So with that fund, we're keeping things pretty stable right now.

So today we're just going to talk about the city sewer system, which those revenues do feed to pay for the regional wastewater plant.

So these increases here could potentially need to be increased more down the road as wastewater treatment needs are better identified.

So you're gonna see a lot of commonalities between Ethan's and my slides.

Um our sewer system within the city of Casper is just over 300 miles.

Uh this is about 1.6 million feet, and there's about 7,000 manholes spattered throughout town.

And like um water, the average use of full life for sewer is about 100 years.

American Waterworks Association and the EPA both say that we should be replacing one to two percent of our systems a year.

Um like Ethan, that one percent replacement equals a 100-year replacement cycle.

And for us, that's 16,000 feet of pipe a year as well as 67 manholes.

So for some history over the last 10 years, um, we have replaced about uh 5,600 uh feet of sewer main and 77 manholes.

Now this is not the regional system.

We have replaced some on the regional system, but that is um separate from this conversation, and uh similarly costs are increasing within the infrastructure replacement uh for sewer infrastructure.

Uh going to the next slide.

We're at about 300 feet.

300 per linear foot of replacement and 10,500 per manhole.

So with 16,000 feet, that one per 100 year cycle, 16,000 feet and 6700, 67 manholes uh being replaced every year is 5.5 million dollars.

This does not include lift stations.

We have 11 city lift stations throughout town.

We've got a fleet, we have factor trucks that are used to clean these lines that are very expensive, as well as other uh inspection and maintenance equipment that require uh capital investments routinely.

So with that included, uh a one percent system replacement and capital needs budget would be 6.3 million dollars a year.

So the things that we look at when we're looking at um what we need to replace on the city sewer system is our risk-based um consequence of failure and likelihood of failure.

We have a crew out there in a CCTV van that inspect these from the inside to determine what our infrastructure repair needs are.

So we have this old clay pipe.

This is pipe uh going back to the 50s and 70s, and um it is failing as you can see.

And so it just further exacerbates the issues that are there in those pipes.

And they tend to have failure.

The pipe wall thickness on these pipes in these small residential areas are pretty thin, less than an inch.

And so they're more subject to failure than these larger dry meter pipes.

Additionally, we have these manholes.

And it has no bottom.

So that water, wastewater that's flowing through there is exposed to the soil beneath.

And these are things that we have not had funding to be able to address over the last 10 years.

Going to our city sewer system, the two primary material types are vitrified clay pipe, VCP, and PVC.

PVC started being installed in 1978.

And so our system is about 50% VCP and 50% PVC.

The VCP is in moderate to poor condition.

The PVC is doing pretty well, but we have also had failures on PVC.

So going to how to prioritize projects, we do risk of failure, consequence of failure.

And one of the things that we also look at look at are the backups.

So when a sewer main clogs because of a because of roots, because of grease, because of collapse, we we identify that it most often happens on VCP pipes, and we keep track of those.

Over the last 10 years, we've had over 140 mainline backups.

And we use this as one of the pieces in determining which pipes should be replaced first.

When we do have these mainline backups, the thing that we most the way that we're most often notified is because wastewater is entering somebody's basement, and not making a very good day for them.

And there's lots of cleanup and repair on our side that are is required as well.

So going to the costs, Casper is in the bottom quarter of our sewer uh rates.

I'd like to highlight on the right hand side there are a few communities with asterisks, asterisks behind their name, and that is because those communities have lagoon wastewater treatment plants.

Lagoon wastewater treatment plants are way less expensive to maintain and operate than an activated sludge plant like we have here in Casper.

So it's hard while we're comparing them here, it's a little bit of apples and oranges because their costs are that much lower than ours in their treatment.

So right now we are at 24.54.50 cents a month for your average uh sewer customer.

Now we've talked about the 100-year replacement, and that is the goal to meet industry standards.

Uh but that increase would have resulted in a 55% increase in 2026 and a 42% increase in 2027.

Um centor historically has received 425,000 a year in one cent.

And so while it affects us to lose one cent, it's not as impactful as waters using the one cent.

So going to phasing this in a little bit more slowly, starting at a 200-year replacement cycle for two years, followed by a 150-year replacement cycle for two more years, and then a 100-year cycle, our rate increases uh for 2026 would be 34%, followed by 18% for 2027.

Uh this is uh $8.33 increase for 2026 and $5.91 for 2027.

Uh this is uh eight dollars and thirty-three cents increase for 2026 and five dollars and ninety-one cents for 2027, and I did include uh keeping that one cent continuing at the current funding level, and that reduces the um the rate increases by one percentage for those first two to 33 percent and 17 percent, and I know this is a lot, but when you look at it comparatively to the other communities in our state, especially those with activated sludge treatment plants, we are still in the um bottom half of uh rates for for those customers at 32 and 84 cents per month.

That's with the 34 percent.

That is with the 34 percent.

Um, mayor counselor, you had alluded to you know, wanting to know, you know, the second year, how that impacts and how that compares with the other communities.

A lot of the communities don't know what their rate increases are going to be for the subsequent years, so we felt like we could only accurately show the comparable rates for the next year because their rates are apt to go up as well.

Somebody else so the overall rate impact, including water, sewer, and refuse.

Currently, the average uh homeowner pays $99.58 a month in 2026, that would increase to 112.33 cents, and in 2027, it goes to 122 dollars and 99 cents.

So again, so if you could back one slide, yeah, yeah.

So in 26, that's 34 percent.

In 27, that's 18.

Correct.

So what's 34 and 18 added together?

52.

So was there any thought of doing 25 and 25?

What we wanted to base our um recommendations on were industry standards and not just percentages necessarily, um, though it would push off project you know, projects in the next two years, uh, if we were to phase it in that method.

So I don't understand that because um if you're going to 34 and then backing off to 18 percent, it would seem to me you're shorting that that second year.

So Pete might be able to help me, but if I'm recalling correctly and going through some of the modeling, when we adjusted it a little bit like you're describing, it made us dip below our reserve requirements uh later on by trying to buffer it initially.

Mayor counselor, we would simply have to adjust our capital out in the future.

We would not be able to spend what we anticipate being able to spend, which is proposed rate because we would have to simply adjust our capital expenses going to the future.

We can adopt whatever rate increase you're comfortable with, but by doing so, we will simply produce several projects to balance the rate model.

Estimated three years out, I can't remember.

And three years out, uh 15% followed by 12% in uh inflation added to that, you would you would come back as for an inflation riser.

Mayor counselor, one of the benefits of this uh software is that it accounts for inflation, and so um as long as we don't have another COVID type situation where our inflation numbers are higher than it then average, I feel like this is a comfortable approach.

Then again, you know, wastewater treatment and their capital needs will affect the road additionally.

So in thinking about the one cent, it's only less than 500,000 in thinking about all the users to this centralized system, which Casper bears the majority share of the sewage.

Um in users, but on the one cent, would it have not been fair?

I don't even know how you do that.

Um on the one cent, shouldn't some of the other participating municipalities have paid into that one cent for the system.

Um I don't I don't even know how you could typically do that.

Mayor counselor, that's a really good question.

Uh the way that it's been accomplished in the past is to have those one cent funds go to Casper sewer projects only.

So they don't go to the regional interceptor sewer, they don't go to the wastewater treatment plant.

So that we're keeping those one cent funds in Casper projects only.

Uh and thanks, Krista, for all this information.

Um I mean, I definitely like the direction we're going.

I think I've been harping on this 300-year replacement schedule for sewer since my first year on council.

Uh it's never really made sense to me.

So this is definitely the direction that I think we need to be going.

I God, the timing's just not that there's ever a good time to increase your sewer bill 33%, but um I've also been speaking repeatedly at our meetings about the things I hear from folks in the community like Kim at the housing authority about all the applications she has to go through to fill uh voucher-based housing and the fact that the um you know utility debts is pretty much the driving factor behind people not being able to secure housing with that agency, Rocky Mountain Power, you know, recently ruling in their favor to adjust their rates even higher.

You know, there's nothing to say uh it'll be better to do this two, three years.

Maybe it may be uh economically we're even worse off.

And so uh we'd be kicking ourselves for not doing it now.

Um but I'm just I'm really really torn on this because uh I'm really worried about overburdening people on one hand, on the other hand, I think it's irresponsible to defer maintenance and make a future council pick up the tab.

So um I get it, I really appreciate this presentation.

I appreciate the information, the recommendations.

It's a very fun build as well.

No questions, just meeting the bed.

If you'd like to there's no question, I'm gonna see Michael.

Thanks, Ruth.

Thanks, Mayor.

Um Krista, thanks.

I mean, I know you and I know Ethan and Sending did an incredible amount of work on all this.

So thank you very much for all that first.

Um on this on your on the on the rate increase for sewer, um so it's you've got kind of forecasted out about 10 years on that second page in the memo there from starting with the 34% increase next or this coming January over 10-year period dropping down to 4% at the end of the 10-year period.

Is there I'm sure there I know there's a good answer, but this and I think I know what it is, but uh I'm gonna ask it anyway.

Uh on the 34%.

So that let's say that averages out to about 10%.

Um it's an average 10% uh rate increase over that 10-year period, 10% per year.

Is it is there uh what is the rationale for for not spreading it out other than as Kyle mentioned, the the deferred aspect of that, but what's the what's the rationale for not stretching that out?

Mayor counselor, we have been deferring maintenance for a long time, and so trying to get um our first step in at uh higher capital investment is the rational behind that.

Thank you.

So this only affects uh the collection system and not the plant itself.

Yes, I'm gonna mayor counselor, I'm gonna get into the weeds a little bit on this graph.

So there's multiple multiple colors.

The vertical lines are revenue lines.

The um bottom light blue band is the operational cost for sewer.

The dark blue band is the um expense that sewer pays for wastewater treatment, and then the green on the top is the increasing capital in sewer.

So you'll see that you know wastewater treatment has some ebbs and flows, but it's pretty consistent right now.

And when we know that we have what project needs and what costs are associated with those projects after this uh master plan at the wastewater plant, that middle blue band is likely to increase, and so this doesn't account for a lot of stuff at the wastewater plant, and but we will know more about that in the coming year as that master plan is firmed up.

So I guess where in my mind I'm trying to go there is let's say uh mills Evansville are none, um and then I think I believe this to West and how that way all comes uh down to the treatment facility.

So where does that leave?

Let's say bar none.

Right.

So mayor counselor, uh Casper's portion of the costs associated with the wastewater treatment plant are approximately 85 percent.

So each of those entities that contribute wastewater to the regional system pay their um pro rata share of uh those expenses as well.

So when we meet with those groups um quarterly right now, we've been talking about the capital needs of the plant and talking about uh what sort of increases they'll need down the road.

Right now we don't have huge increases on wastewater, so right now I don't anticipate them having to increase their rates substantially, but we'll also have a discussion of we're we're in Casper is raising its rates, and we anticipate some higher costs associated with that master plan project, and they may want to do some anticipatory uh rate increases Chris not a question for you, it's actually for Zulema.

So should I hang on to it until uh yeah, I'll hang on to it until uh so I'm a little lost on my example with let's say baron.

So um they're still sending um you know to to the plant, and in the memo, one of the memos was mentioned the screw pumps, um and to help with those costs.

So why wouldn't Mills Evansville are none in their percentages?

We're we're 85.

But why would our users pick up the differential?

They they would also have uh in their percentage of 34 percent increase.

Mayor counselor, the expenses at the wastewater plant are split evenly, and so while this 34% accounts for costs associated with wastewater treatment, it also accounts for increases associated with improved capital in Casper's sewer system.

So they're not paying for the 34, they're they're likely not going to do that 34 percent because maybe their systems don't need the same uh investment than our system does.

Maybe not um, but their investment in the wastewater plant will always per an agreement uh be equivalent to their percent of contribution, they have their own sewer systems that they have to maintain, so when they look at their rate models, they have to account for what their needs are in capital investments in their city sewer system.

uh investment than our system does have an access for these pipe center maybe not um but their investment in the wastewater plant will always per an agreement uh be equivalent to their percent of contribution they have their own sewer systems that they have to maintain so when they look at their rate models they have to account for what their needs are in capital investments in their city sewer system we have an estimate what our gun might have to on the plant itself I do not have estimates uh but uh given the the graph of what we're seeing it's eight percent maybe yeah not terribly substantial support okay too questions for Kristen wrap us up Andrew uh we are looking for direction whether it or not as to what kind of rate increases you'd like to see for solid waste water and sewer because we are looking to bring a great resolution to next Tuesday's council meeting and Zalima's absolutely right there's nothing magical about two years historically it's been set for two years because this is a big undertaking for staff it's a big undertaking for council but honestly to look at these every year we give an update typically every other year but rates of historic given set for two years at a time but there's that is not set in stone and it can be absolutely adjusted if if you wish to do so but um I don't know if you'd like to give a thumbs up for solid waste if you're comfortable with a three percent three percent rent use collection and a zero percent and a three percent for bell fill for two thousand twenty six and two thousand twenty seven are you but you're comfortable I think that's the least comp I was gonna say with the easier one I was gonna say I could just come and give you a hug for doing that Andrew uh because I know the other stuff's gonna be a lot more a lot more deep but is everybody okay with that recommendation from the city staff and Andrew so you will see that rate resolution solid waste reflective of that discussion perfect water there's a couple of things we need direction on right now the recommendation is eight percent see what that does to the water rate it goes from 438 cents a month up to 46 and 85 cents a month that's what the eight percent and that anticipates that this can you're no longer subsidizing it with one cent and that money becomes available for other opportunities if you don't want to fund it we wish to continue the one cent funding hopefully we this is our deploy to get you to make the seasons quick so I guess so you've got five seconds so I guess the the conversation around this is that with the water rate looking at the increase of eight percent I think the big question is I was just asking Zulema making the decision whether we want to cut back on you know the one cent funding for this to subsidize you know uh for that do we want to go for the full you know cut of that where we go to the 4685 do we want to I mean I guess I kind of want to open that up and see where we're where we're kind of all sitting uh when it comes to water so I'm gonna start with Kyle and then I'll get you Amber uh well like Amber I do I do believe the enterprise funds need to be self-sustaining and I think it's unfortunate we're in the position now where we're having to pull them out um my question is has city staff given any thoughts to where we would reallocate the 2.6 ish million currently being used for water and sewer infusions uh do we have any thoughts where we would be reallocating that mayor counselor actual recommendations at this time clearly there's been thoughts um amongst all of the departments how we would utilize capital dollars if they were reallocated from utilities to um other uh priorities but you know primarily you are looking at priorities in public safety streets and parks as but then you're also looking at transit operations i mean we we all rely on one cent funding for our infrastructure and so uh while each department director is going to have suggestions on where those dollars go um you know we we all have needs and it would be up to council to redirect those funds where they feel like the need is greatest uh keep in mind that you have a business center to fund um a fire station to fund

I mean we we all rely on one cent funding for our infrastructure.

And so um while each department drafter is going to have suggestions on where those dollars go.

Um we all have needs, and it would be up to council to redirect those funds where they feel like the need is greatest.

Uh keep in mind that you have a business center to fund a fire station to fund.

So I mean, there there are needs out there that we have to start thinking about.

I mean, I also think there's a world where we sort of detach to two things that there is a world where we increase the rate and still decide to subsidize to help move this get us closer to where we need to be sooner.

So I uh I would advocate that the rate needs to go up eight percent regardless of what we do, but one cent in this fund.

And I would advocate that we do it for one year.

For the investor plan to come.

We do it for one year on this.

How does council feel about that?

And I think we'll tackle the one cent here in a second, because I think that's gonna be a little bit more of a conversation.

Eight to switch to the other point.

That's all right.

I didn't write it.

Six six, four, four, four, four, four, four, something.

Let's see if that's the with the one cent.

Six and a half eight and eight, yes, eight for three years.

Five years, and inflation area.

Well, what was that?

Eight percent for three years, six and a half percent for forward four years, four and then inflationary and late rates following that.

Go ahead, Kyle.

Can I ask so I better understand the proposal?

What is the rationale for doing it just one year?

Is it to give us time to gauge one cent renewal?

What's your master plan?

That's your yeah, the tiered water rate study is coming to us.

So be redoing them potentially this is this is a tough conversation.

Well, well, we're gonna be screwed either way.

Um be screwed either way.

I I guess I I certainly don't disagree, but I I think if we're gonna do it, we might just wanna do the eight percent for two years.

I feel like the difference here as a water user ahead of water bill sent to me.

I'm a water user, I average a hundred dollars a month for just my water.

We're looking at six and a half percent.

That is a difference between six dollars and fifty cents and eight dollars.

That's a dollar fifty.

We're right this second deciding.

And I use a lot of water.

I water two weeks ago, guys.

So you're saying eight percent is okay.

I feel like if I'm using a lot of water and we're hashing a dollar fifty a month, most income restricted people do not water their lawns in November like I did.

So I think that maybe this is not where we focus.

Also, I'm gonna love the tiered, but I deserve it.

I I acknowledge it.

And I I water my lawn a lot during the summer, and so the tiered I'm gonna get totally screened.

We will cry together next year.

I let it die the first month, and then you don't have to worry about it.

So much easier that way.

It's really easy to see.

You can come sit on my football craft.

I'm gonna unplug this power strip here so we can speed us along.

Well, so I I think there's a proposal to be okay with the eight percent.

The question's gonna be because I when I asked Zaleim, I think we do have to make some type of a decision about the one cent funding.

This is gonna be the biggest thing for me.

Just trying to figure out what we're gonna do with that.

And Amber, uh, you know, I I think rightly so put it.

Do we do that eight percent, and then do we continue to keep that subsidized, right?

Or um or keep it on there to get us closer or whatever.

So what's the question that we need to look at?

And um about that one cent funding.

So mayor uh Tom put this out early on, you know, the that I recall about eliminating that subsidy when it comes time.

And uh so I I didn't like that at first.

Um because I think that has been popular with our citizens.

Uh but time has come where without you know, like Laramie County utilizes a six cent uh truly for infrastructure and special projects um where we have to utilize the fifth cent for all of that, and so the enterprise counts.

I I guess I believe now uh in looking at it, and who knows what the voters are gonna do with this anyway on the fifth set coming up.

I hope they see the value in the fifth cent.

We sure do.

Um but uh I think we should decide not to utilize that to subsidize the water infrastructure and improvements like it has been here.

Counselor, so to counselor Pollock's point, could choose to keep or or to set the rate increase at eight percent and then decide later if one cent would be applied to approve the capital agenda for an another four years to get to that 100 year replacement a little bit faster and subsequently may reduce increases into the future.

Um so really while I initially said you need to make a decision on the on the one cent contribution now, um because it's helping to establish the rate, you could decide on the rate tonight and then choose later to continue contributing to water and sewer through one cent.

But just understand that the this rate as recommended is intended to show a reduction in that in that one cent.

Good clarification.

So we don't necessarily have to make a decision on that.

We could put it making the plan to give you guys direction on the rate increases.

Okay.

I'm hearing you want a resolution for one year.

We could then take a look and that eight percent next year would go down, obviously, if you continue the one cent funding source for so Mayor, can we take a vote on one year, two year old?

So I've got two that'll have comments or questions.

So let me get those and then we'll make a thumbs up.

Go ahead, Amber.

Okay, kind of think about it, let me know.

Kyle.

Not old enough for that yet.

Um I mean, I I totally get we don't have uh make a decision on one cent until we draft the resolution in preparation of the election next year, but my feelings now uh are very strong.

Um the enterprise funds should be self-sustaining, so you know, it is what it is, and uh I do think it's important that we pull that subsidy out, but um unless there's some sort of alternative plan to increase streets funding.

I believe strongly at this point that most, if not all of that probably needs to go in there because my guess is the streets picture is just as bleak as this.

Uh decades of deferred maintenance, no real plan to get that funding where it needs to, and so really that's the only way it sits right with me if you know pulling it out of water and sewer helps us to achieve the benchmark we need to be at for streets, that makes it a little more palatable to me.

Uh it would be a shame.

I think if that one cent got, you know, just sort of lost in the ether amongst the other things and streets is still left on the table drastically underfunded.

So um I guess so everyone else is aware.

That's where I sit with that.

Hold on, Amber remembered.

So I I think one way or the other, I'm in support of removing one cent as a subsidy.

I could advocate for using it as a supplement to something that is already putting us on a track that is self-sustainable if in the context of the we still feel like that is the most critical need after all the needs are on the table.

Um I prefer to look at them all at once rather than trying to parse out without you know we have the benefits tonight of a pretty in-depth analysis of the condition of those two systems, right?

But um we don't we're not looking at that same information for for everything else right now.

So for for me, I think yes, I could support it going to streets.

I also could support it.

I mean, it could be that there's a better case that this is more urgent.

I like I don't know, but until we look at it all together, I'm not sure.

But um, but either way, I think removing it as a mechanism to artificially reduce rates needs to happen.

But I do think there's still a world where potentially this is urgent enough that it still needs an a supplement from from one cent uh in the next cycle.

Good point.

I agree, but I wanted to throw a little wrench in for you, Kyle.

My thought was well, maybe we start using that to start that starboard but we need keeps it on water.

So Pat moved to Grossy something.

Like, oh okay.

Um is everybody okay with the eight percent and we said the one year.

Yeah, for one year one year.

Everybody okay with that?

Are you a no Pat?

Are you just I have a no?

Yeah or no?

Okay.

I want vote on two years.

Is anybody in favor of two years?

Why though?

Because aren't we gonna just gonna have to renegotiate all of this in one year when we get the tiered water rates?

Not necessarily.

Okay.

Um, just because you will have a presentation that shows you what tiered water rates could look like does not necessarily mean that council would want to implement those tiered water rates.

So there are reasons to do it.

Certainly there could be counter reasons to not do it, and and you would have to make that decision at that time.

So the the benefit of the two years that it gives us more time for public education, which will definitely be necessary to to transition to a tiered rate structure, and that that gives us an extra amount of time to do that.

Um, but it is a conversation we anticipate having as soon as the study is completed.

I'm fine with two years done to me.

It's fine.

Sorry, Paula.

When do we expect the study to be complete?

No, we could probably give you that those recommendations now.

Without her direction, without public outreach.

And since I've been in this position, that was not enough time to set rates for adoption in January 2026.

So but we can present data pretty quickly.

But you probably want your new city manager to be seated.

So Lima but it doesn't want any part of it.

So you know, it can certainly be docketed for a future work session.

So it just sounds it sounds like then two is not too much thing.

A terrible thing to do.

Sure.

All right.

Let's rebote.

Are we voting on one year or two years?

We already voted on one.

We're voting on two now.

We'll see if two.

It passed, but if you want to see if two passes two, we can.

Okay.

Does anybody have any interest?

Two year would be eight and six point five.

Eight and eight.

Eight and eight.

Okay, thank you.

I'm fine with two years.

I think two years might as well.

See what you did there, Pat utilized your influence, your influence.

We didn't influence Pat's all.

All right, we still have another one.

Uh don't we?

Oh no, that's a cost.

Oh, sewer.

Oh my gosh.

I thought we were all done with one.

All right, on to sewer.

So the recommendation it sounds like 34 and 18.

The is the uh proposal.

Discussion about that before we uh Christa, you said the 425,000 that we currently from one set.

That's the difference between a 34% increase and a 33%.

Yeah, your counselor is accurate.

Yeah, but this is just kind of more general feeling is about the like what uh counselor's green's concerns about you know, and the other concerns about voter response to the one cent, but I think glib will depend on the education we do around but that one cent is shaking out, and um that's what it looks for is kind of what's in it for me, you know, in terms of you know whether it's if it's streets, I think our survey indicated streets were a high priority, police fire, you know.

Um I think I think utility rates get some benefit, that's great, but if they don't, I think streets fire all the bigger infrastructure stuff is I think of these utility things as as infrastructure games.

Well it seems like this is pretty straightforward 34% to 18%.

It doesn't seem like there's much of a difference that we can get down that road as when we talk about one step down the road, but um I'm comfortable with 34 to eight and 18.

How everybody else feels a discussion around it.

Can we do your permission to do that?

Oh yeah.

You don't need my permission.

Um, like I said, with your lifespan uh life cycle per years.

So I want to see this happen, but I do think whatever extent we can in our messaging, you know, explain to people that this is majority because we had a 300-year life cycle replacement schedule.

We are transitioning to a 100-year replacement schedule so as to stop deferring maintenance.

And so, you know, it's not like we're doing the same things we've all we've always done, just charging the 34% where we are trying to write the ship and get to a point where the sewer system is not getting worse every year.

We're at least maintaining and maintain.

I don't even know if we're actually improving over time, but just maintaining whatever our current state is.

Um, that's the least that we as a council need to be doing is maintaining ideally improving, but you know the thoughts.

I have a I have a thought, but I think we should address this particular rate for us because it's overarching that this sewer.

So let's finish that in it.

Any other thoughts about the 34 and 18?

Okay.

I know that this is I mean, it's a tough conversation, you guys, and I think the thing that I always say is you know, what that political view of it saying, okay, well, they're raising our rates.

Well, we uh you and I we pay those rates too.

So it's gonna affect us.

But but we have to also look at the reality of of what we have to take care of in our queue, what we have not done.

And you're right, Kyle.

I don't think push pushing this off to another council.

I'm gonna be off in a year, you know, and rest of us um 10 years from now.

It's gonna be a 40% increase in the next goal.

So I'm okay with 3418.

Okay.

Amber, you said you wanted something else.

Yeah, I think it's more of just like uh I don't know.

Uh as I was pulling over the menu m memo this weekend and just kind of thinking about this, it seems like over the last the five years that I've been on council, we've we've worked to avoid these double digit jumps and increases.

I think through analysis and diligence and and that sort of thing.

There's been a few times when I felt like okay, there's an anomaly, so we've got to account for that anomaly that we experienced.

Thank you guys.

Appreciate it.

Staff recommendations.

Um I think my I'm I this felt like the some of the most like comprehensive information we've been presented with, at least in the last five years, um, which is very helpful, and I appreciate the work that went into doing that.

I I guess I'm just my question is what is it about our process this year that was able to provide us with that level of detail that at least we haven't had in the past and get us to the point where we our efforts at what I feel like over the last five years to avoid major jumps like this.

I mean, I think we've known about the deferred maintenance at least to some extent over time.

So I'm just wondering, you know, it feels like we've known about it for five years.

We've got to take a big jump now.

We've taken taken a few of those over the course of the five years, but I'm just wondering like process-wise or philosophy-wise, like how have there been shifts within the way city staff is working on this or approaching it.

I know there's been some structural changes within the organization that has allowed staff time to be dedicated to a more thorough analysis.

Can you just talk about like the organizationally how did we get to this relative of my last five years?

Like we didn't see this moment coming necessarily, though I think I feel like in some ways we did.

Does that make some sense?

Uh mayor, counselor.

I I think there's a number of different things that you reference.

So uh there have been some staff changes at at higher levels that I think have encouraged a different way of thinking, particularly about the capital need and the reality behind what it's really going to take to create a capital agenda that matches best practices, regulatory requirements, all all of the things, right?

Where I think our um aversion to high rate increases has always tempered that in the past to the detriment of the system overall and the future sustainability of the system when it comes to capital.

And so um whereas now the you know people closer to the operation of the utilities are helping to drive that conversation and um and and really clearly demonstrate and represent the need.

Um I think it makes a big difference.

And I would also say that all of you and your support and your clear understanding of the need when it comes to capital investment, also helps.

If we had a different council that consistently was reluctant to understand or invest in capital in the way that we need to to be sustainable, we may not have chosen to be bold and have this conversation.

Um so that is credit to you all for being open and understanding the true need of the community in terms of our critical infrastructure.

Yeah, go ahead.

Um I think you in my mind is an outsider and new be process.

Carter is an extremely conservative leader, and I think not to the detriment of the city whatsoever, but I think he looked looks at things differently.

Um it's saying any fault uselina um at all, but I I just think I don't think he held back anything.

I'm not saying that, but I just think his uh style was uh protection of council in part of his analysis and thought process, um, which I always appreciated that about him.

Um so I think that that could be part of it too.

Maybe that's just yeah, so I I appreciate that.

Thank you.

And and I think that was sort of my instinct about it as well.

Um, just over the last several years, we've you know had the opportunity to dig into some of these things a little bit more.

But even when I first got on council, there was you know, we were taking tours and pointing out all of the instances of deferred maintenance throughout all of our facilities and all of our infrastructure, and I think even then I felt strongly that the bill for deferred maintenance always comes due, and it usually is expensive when that comes due.

And I think that that is where we're at right now, and I think this you can see actually through those charts.

Not only have we been subsidizing rates with one cent, we also have not been increasing rates commiserate with other communities that presumably you know, Cheyenne didn't start 30% higher than our rates or 40% higher than our rates where they're sitting.

Um, and so I think that that has, you know, and that looks like it probably goes back decades of incremental um increases that haven't necessarily been happening here in the same way.

And so um I think that's that's the bill that's coming due for for us when we look at a 300-year uh replacement schedule.

It looked to me like in next year for for water, that was that was only 25%.

So that's that's a 400-year um uh replacement schedule, right?

And so um, I think that that's what we see here and why, and you know, I think the the good news, while it is an impact, the average is is 12 dollars.

Let's get spread over a lot of people, which is an advantage that we have, and so I think we have to take the opportunity to start moving that direction, or else it will only grow us from here.

That's what I'm saying.

Thanks.

Okay, thank you everyone.

Great discussion.

Thank you, staff being here late, working.

All the work that you guys put into that.

Yeah, thanks.

Appreciate it.

A lot of work, thank you.

He was ready just to it was like I didn't care.

That's why it was like you've got three recommendations.

Let's go, people.

That's what he said.

Thanks, everyone.

Thanks, Dan.

All right, no, I'm gonna kind of wait and have to go in the bathroom here for a second, too.

But we'll push through council around the table, not a lot.

You get one announcement.

That's all I got.

Yeah, it's gone.

Missed it.

You missed it.

Just make it longer than the agenda review.

Um if you have anything you want to go over from the grid, anything for next meeting.

Uh there, counselors, thank you.

So next Tuesday is a regular business meeting.

Uh we will start with a pre-meeting discussion on more head park and winter safely timely this time of year, of course.

Um, and then just a note that the week of Christmas we will not meet, and you all chose to use the fifth Tuesday of December, December 30th to make up that second work session.

So that is what it looks like through the end of the calendar here.

And so next week will be my last meeting as NRM, and the December 30th meeting will be Janine's first meeting.

So we will we have uh there would be a resolution that we would have on this on the rate vote formally on the rate increase.

Hopefully, yes.

So that those resolutions will come forward next week.

All right.

All righty, let's go ahead and uh council on the table.

Jenna, do you want to start sure?

You hear me all right?

Very quiet.

Just yell a little quiet.

It's kind of quiet.

Talk loud.

Kind of quiet.

How about there?

Pretty quiet.

That's good.

That's all right.

Closer.

Closer to my microphone.

For this, um trying to recap what I did last week, but my brain is in a fog.

So um I don't I don't think I have anything.

The parade was great.

Thank you, everyone who came out, and it was fabulous.

Um, I hope you all were there.

There had to been like 2,000 people down there.

It was it was nutty.

So and it was awesome, and the weather held out, and so just a lot of joy for that parade.

So I think that that was it.

That's what I did all weekend.

Thanks, Jenna.

Uh Amber.

I don't have anything of Michael.

Uh not much.

Uh Counselor Haskins and I met with uh Judge uh hand last night.

I think there wasn't a lot there.

Thanks, Michael.

Yeah, no complaints.

I was listening there.

Nothing.

Awesome.

So I've been watching uh uh appropriations off and on, and very interesting.

Um passed before we adjourn um thought process and date yet on uh the legislative dinner if we've made any progress we don't have a date, but yeah, yeah.

uh appropriations uh off and on very interesting um the um pass before we adjourn um thought process and date yet on uh the legislative dinner if we've made any progress we don't have a date yeah yeah and it needs to be the after january sixteenth because appropriations if the alaman would would participate it'll be before the 16th yeah yeah he'll be tied up with the week of uh january 5th and january 12th also it has to be after after the 60 yeah um so last thursday um i went to the advanced Casper and visit Casper um open house that was nice and checked with a couple merchants on chocolate walk uh downtown that really was uh very successful this year the weather uh definitely helped um and uh um and it looked like the Christmas parade was uh huge success um got lots and lots of cars parked in every place um and then yesterday um uh there's a Casper it had a budget uh amendment uh meeting uh in uh specifically for that and amico reuse had a special meeting and then holiday party last night this morning I attended uh downtown CAS for business association meeting um and that was well attended and um uh Melissa from DDA was there and uh talked to him a bit um ten o'clock I attended uh the senior district um meeting and um uh they're now actively collecting on the uh mill levy and uh so their finances are looking better finally um and uh being able to give more to the grant applications so um and then uh attended meals on wheels uh board meeting at noon um and uh uh they had put an application in for funding and so we talked talked about that a little bit but um and then I'm here so awesome uh and then if he and I won't be I'll be in Pennsylvania on the 16th and then when we're set an agenda of for the 30th um I wasn't tending on attending um but if there's certain things but um I would ask um I'd like to be here for uh if we're gonna discuss uh with uh the second sheet of ice and those folks uh if that can be pushed back until I'm here in person I would much prefer that um I don't think my opinion is uh with the death of uh Linda um uh uh Thomas's mom um and that funeral is gonna be on the 5th January and she's been a key component of the fundraising for the second sheet of ice and um working with uh Peter Wold and that entire group I just think it's pretty tacky if we uh do that and at this point in time so is my my thought we'll look at that from day one date counselor um you know I don't I don't disagree she's a primary component and she does have a lot of family things happening right now and so uh but I I do know that group wanted to be respectful of the timeline that council granted them by which to you know conduct their fundraising efforts and so but if you are all comfortable pushing to a date in January I'm sure she would appreciate January 13th probably then as soon as I think it'll be the 13th soon as council okay with that if we push a little bit okay that's good thank you yeah thank you at a homelessness meeting last Wednesday the uh current continuum of care and stakeholders there's a lot of changes going on ahead um there was a new you know I don't understand that world uh as much as uh most

January 13th, probably then be the 13th.

Okay with that.

If we push it a little bit, okay.

Oh that's good.

Thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

Had a homelessness meeting last Wednesday.

The uh current continuum of care and stakeholders.

There's a lot of changes going on at HUD.

Um there was a new, you know, I don't understand that world uh as much as uh most of the people that I sit around the table with, but I know there's a change in priority at HUD from permanent housing to uh more so like street outreach treatment and other initiatives, and so the folks in the permanent housing realm, uh I think there's a lot of anxiety about whether that funding that has existed will continue to exist uh in the coming year.

Central Wyoming Counseling Center is contracting with a core data system that other providers will be able to subscribe to, gives us more insight related to time, place, and circumstances, and people needing and receiving treatment.

I believe that's what the chief was referring to earlier in the PCN or city presentation, should help break down silos and promote collaboration between agencies in January.

CWCC we uh CWCC will be offering a nine-bed supervised recovery program in addition to acquiring a counseling center in Fremont County that'll help them to coordinate services between our two counties as well as transportation, which has been an issue these past couple years as we've seen more and more people from the Fremont County area receiving services in Casper's.

So I'm thankful for that, and uh hopefully it'll lead to some really good coordination to get folks back to their home counties after they've come here for service.

Uh the Arbor House, which is the old Mimi's house for unaccompanied student youth will be opening with 18 beds.

Um so it's great to see some places coming online to help serve these demographics, and then Brad with the Central Wyoming Rescue Mission stated that Riverton is about to open a shelter called Mercy House, and that's great because again uh the Fremont County area, a lot of folks coming here for homeless services because they don't exist there.

So I'm I'm hoping that uh with the opening of the Mercy House that'll take a little bit of the burden off of Casper to provide those services for folks outside our county.

And uh than that, um uh I did go to the chocolate lock in the uh parade, all very nice.

I stopped into Sierra West.

Uh Judy Anderson and her daughter opened that store 30 years ago.

It was the old Harry Yesmus clothing store.

Uh and this is their last year.

Uh she's selling the building, so I would encourage folks.

There's a ton of history in that building that that shop's been around 30 years, always one of my favorite places to go to during Christmas.

So uh PSA, this is your last year, potentially it's possible somebody buys the building and just keeps running the business, but uh might be your last year to step in there.

So I might encourage you to go see Judy before they close their doors in the year.

That's all I got.

Let's go.

Um has set up a one-stop shop for mental well-being resources.

If anybody would like one of those flyers, QR code takes you to all the different resources that are available.

I requested a few of them so I can give them out to some of the churches and stuff, and that's good so that because churches always get people calling them needing help, and that's a great resource for that.

Uh the piece in our cities, just so you know, we had several meetings on what we wanted to present to you guys, and there was probably eight more hours worth of stuff that we would we would like to present to you.

So you go through your packet and and uh read those things and get more on the blueprint.

We'll get that information out to everybody.

But as you're going through that, you get questions, click on those links.

There's a ton of information.

More than happy to have you reach out to me, and we can do a one-on-one sometime and go over any questions that you've got on any of the peace in our city stuff.

I think that uh with the visit to Edmonton, we saw a lot of things that are very pertinent to our community because we're such sister cities.

Um, and uh I think that the 24-7 crisis intervention is is gonna be huge.

I think that's something that we definitely want to see grow to uh watching it in place there in Edmonton was just fantastic, and uh seeing how reach up there coordinates everybody to work together.

Um I think that uh we're gonna see some great progress in the next year or two as we move forward with a lot of the different things that we've we've already got going on and the different things we're implementing.

It was just very exciting to see that and have a peace in our cities as a as a uh consultant for us to help us to be able to do those things.

Got any questions reach out.

I love talking about that.

Thank you.

Uh nothing of consequence.

I just had a rec board meeting last Friday.

Um, so that's good.

That's about all I got.

All righty.

We got an executive session.

I'll be zooming in, hopefully.

Um Tuesday.

Yeah, I saw that on that.

Thank you.

I now call the uh December 9th, 2025 special meeting, special council meeting to order.

All members are present.

Chair Jarantina motion to no, nobody's getting excused.

I'm not gonna do the exec session meeting, so I'm not gonna be present.

Just by aye I'm gonna get off.

We'll excuse you then.

See you.

We don't.

Thank you.

All right, thanks.

Thanks.

Goodbye.

Chair Generating a motion two by minute action excuse the absence of councillor uh Jensen.

So second.

Moved by Paul executed by the vice mayor.

Any abstentions or nay votes?

All voting aye, say aye.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Notice that we made executive session to take place at this date and during this meeting was given.

We have matters to discuss regarding personnel.

Therefore, the chair would entertain a motion to adjourn to an executive session at the conclusion of the executive session to reconvene the special meeting solely for the purposes of adjournment of this meeting.

So moved.

Second.

Moved by Sweeney, seconded by the Vice Maynor, Mayor.

There are a majority of members present and a motion to adjourn into an executive session.

It's been moved and seconded.

This motion requires a two-thirds majority of the council present.

Um any abstentions or nay votes?

All voting aye say aye.

Motion passes.

Greater than two-thirds majority of the council present voted in favor of the motion.

We are hereby adjourned into an executive session.