Casper City Council Meeting – October 7, 2026

On October 7, 2026, the Casper, Wyoming City Council held a regular meeting presided over by Mayor Ray Pacheco. The council issued a Fire Prevention Week proclamation, heard public comment on capital project funding, conducted public hearings, passed the first reading of a building code ordinance, adopted a budget amendment, approved multiple land-use and financing ordinances, adopted water rate and construction resolutions, approved a 21-item consent agenda, and adjourned into executive session. No agenda or minutes were available; this summary is based solely on the raw transcription.

Consent Calendar

• Set October 20, 2026, as the public hearing date for an ordinance amending Title 17 gaming definitions and zoning, and for an ordinance creating Chapter 5.80 on simulcasting and parimutuel wagering. The motion passed; Councilors Sweeney, Haskins, and Jensen recorded no votes on the Title 17 amendment portion.
• Approved all 21 consent resolutions unanimously, including the Ford Wyoming Center naming-rights agreement with Mountain States Ford Dealers, a Central Wyoming Regional Water System cooperative agreement, a parking garage concrete analysis contract, the Trulio AI software agreement for the Casper Police Department, Metro Animal Shelter MOU amendments with Mills and Bar Nunn, opioid settlement fund contract extensions, a $1,312,649 Community Development Block Grant sub-recipient agreement with Wyoming Housing Network for Juniper Ridge repairs, and a resolution requesting evaluation of downstream impacts from the Seminole Pumped Storage Project.
• Reappointed Kermit Willie to the City of Casper Investment Advisory Committee.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ross Shripman, a Casper citizen, expressed concern that several capital projects have faced funding difficulties and could lead to long-term debt and higher taxes. He contrasted Casper with Horsham Township, Pennsylvania, a community of 28,000 people with a $24 million budget that fully funds capital projects before proceeding. He cited the city hall project at $5.2 million, the Metro Animal Shelter at about $8 million, the ICREN expansion at $17.6 million with more than $11 million (about 70 percent) from donations, Hogadon ski lift improvements at about $5 million, the pedestrian bridge originally funded with $3.5 million in ARPA funds but now estimated at $6–8 million, and Fire Station One with about $4.4 million collected while projected costs range from $14–23 million. He also questioned whether spending has reduced youth outmigration and said his concern was not with staff but with council capital planning.
• Councilor Gamroth responded that escalating construction costs have been a major frustration and that he supports completing needed projects rather than delaying them. Councilor Sweeney said inflation affects city government as well and criticized tariffs on Canadian building materials.
• No public speakers appeared for or against the Title 15 building code ordinance.
• During the budget amendment public hearing, Shripman said he was not in opposition but noted a $0.2 million special-purpose tax surplus, a $7 million general fund transfer to capital reserve, projected property tax revenue of $4.9 million, and audited expenditures of $130 million in FY24 and $140 million in FY25.

Discussion Items

• Title 15 Building Code Ordinance (first reading): The city attorney entered a September 16, 2026 letter and a September 28, 2026 publication affidavit into evidence. Councilor Sweeney voted no, objecting to new licensing categories, a fee schedule he said increases residential costs while reducing commercial fees, a time-consuming variance process, misdemeanor penalties, continuing education requirements, and restrictions on homeowner renovations. He also said contractors were hesitant to speak publicly. Councilor Haskins said he initially planned to vote no but switched to yes after contractor conversations. Vice Mayor Gamroth suggested that if concerns remain after the October 13 work session, Sweeney could work with staff to prepare an amendment bifurcating new requirements from state-mandated code updates. The ordinance passed first reading with Councilors Jensen and Sweeney voting no.
• Budget Amendment No. 1: The city manager reported the amendment mainly contains capital project rollovers, with only 3.6 percent of the overall $129.9 million budget representing new spending, amounting to about $6 million. New expenditures include the pedestrian bridge, Poplar Street construction, scale house renovation, gas detection equipment, and rural emergency response team equipment. The amendment passed unanimously.
• Water Rate Resolution: Councilor Sweeney voted no, saying the tiered rate system shifts burden and that a flat 8 percent increase would have been more transparent. Councilor Haskins voted yes with reservations, saying a year will show whether the tiered approach works. Councilor Watcherson supported the tiered rates as spreading burden to heavier users while still being explainable to residents. The resolution passed with Councilors Jensen, Larson, and Sweeney voting no.
• Shining the Light on Safety Resolution: Authorized an agreement with Modern Electric Company for the project. It passed unanimously.
• Casper Ice Arena Expansion GMP Amendment: Authorized contract amendment number one with Sampson Construction Company for guaranteed maximum price construction management services. The city manager noted the ice-breaking had occurred and the amendment memorialized the guaranteed maximum price. It passed unanimously.

Ordinance Approvals (Second and Third Readings)

• Approved unanimously on second reading: the Park Ridge Medical Campus subdivision final plat; the annexation, annexation agreement, and zoning for a half-acre portion of Tract 7, Bryan Stanco subdivision, located at 2583 Ryan Evansville Road; and the Nissan addition annexation, final plat, subdivision agreement, and zoning.
• Approved unanimously on third reading: the ordinance authorizing a lease transaction with U.S. Bank Trust Company to finance the design, construction, and equipping of city capital projects. A proposed amendment was adopted unanimously before the amended ordinance passed.

Council Reports and Announcements

• Councilors reported on opioid settlement grantee meetings, domestic violence awareness month and volunteer advocate needs, downtown improvement district activities, the Christmas parade theme “Let It Glow,” Special Olympics events, mental health and homelessness discussions, the Hall of Justice elevator bid, the ice arena groundbreaking, the retirement of Fire Chief Black, and an upcoming Proposition 1 property tax panel at the library.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted the Fire Prevention Week proclamation for October 4–10, 2026, with the theme “Charge into Fire Safety, Safe Charging is a Superpower.”
• Set the October 20, 2026 public hearing date for gaming-related ordinance changes.
• Passed Title 15 replacement on first reading, with a work session scheduled for October 13, 2026.
• Adopted Budget Amendment No. 1 unanimously.
• Approved three second-reading land-use ordinances and one third-reading lease ordinance.
• Adopted revised water rates over three no votes; approved the Shining the Light on Safety and Ice Arena GMP resolutions.
• Approved the 21-item consent agenda and the consent minute action unanimously.
• Voted unanimously, with more than a two-thirds majority, to enter executive session on property acquisition and attorney-client privilege matters, with the regular meeting reconvening only for adjournment.