Cheyenne City Council Meeting - January 13, 2025

The City Council met on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of several zoning and annexation ordinances on third reading, a grazing lease for the Belvoir Ranch, an extension for a parked liquor license, and a voucher report discussion. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to public testimony opposing a recently passed downtown paid on-street parking ordinance. All members were present.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes from December 23, 2024, January 6, 2025 (sine die and first regular meeting) were approved.
• Resolution re-appropriating the FY2025 Budget – referred to Finance Committee.
• Resolution authorizing Final Plat for Holliday Park – referred to Public Services Committee.
• Leases/Contracts:
  • Agreement with WYDOT for rural public transportation grant ($300,000) – approved.
  • Agreement with United Way of Laramie County for human services funding – referred to Finance Committee.
• Purchases:
  • Quest Netvault software for IT ($125,000) – approved.
  • Happy Jack Landfill litter fence maintenance bid to Alco Fence Co. ($381,800) – accepted.
  • Kiwanis Community House hardwood floor replacement bid – referred to Finance Committee.
  • Four sanitation trucks and two transfer trailers – all referred to Finance Committee.

Items 16B (Belvoir Ranch grazing lease) and 18A (Scooters Scoreboard liquor license extension) were removed from the consent agenda for separate discussion and vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During Item 11 (AG zoning for land near Allison & Walterscheid): Randy Barnick (via online) expressed concerns that the AG zone allows work camps, which he argued are inconsistent with agricultural character. He requested that the city postpone the zoning until work camps are removed from AG or a study is done, and that city fees be waived for the property owner. He thanked the council for their service.
• During Other Business (downtown paid parking ordinance): Several downtown business owners and property owners spoke in opposition to the paid on-street parking ordinance:
  • Sam Galliotis submitted a petition signed by over 100 downtown business and property owners requesting repeal of the ordinance. He stated the ordinance creates a barrier to visitors, will damage businesses, and questioned what problem it solves. He offered to collaborate on alternatives.
  • Brian Grigorchak (Shine Wyoming) criticized recent water and sanitation fee increases and the drainage fee, arguing small businesses are being burdened without transparency.
  • Glenn Garrett (office at 1623 Capitol Ave., former DDA board member) provided history of removing meters in the 1980s and cited DDA goals to improve existing parking resources before adding new supply. He emphasized the need to address safety perception of the Spiker garage, especially for women.
  • Steve Born (building owner, landlord of Bronx Pizza) worried that meters would deter older customers and cited difficulty navigating icy streets.
  • Astrid (owner of Plains Hotel and Hotel Frontier) stressed the need for studies on pedestrian counts and business tax rolls before implementing paid parking. She noted out-of-town visitors may not use apps and that the ordinance could hurt occupancy.
  • Susan Allen (Hawthorne Tree) spoke about the financial strain on businesses and urged incentivizing employee parking in the Spiker garage, possibly with a low introductory rate. She noted employees occupy many on-street spaces.
  • Sandy Innis (Two Doors Down and The Factory, 25 years downtown) said paid parking would reduce foot traffic and that many customers are not tech-savvy.
  • Virginia Dandy Brinkerhoff (Just Dandy, 50 years downtown) stated customers have told her they will not come downtown because of the meters. She questioned how non-tech users would manage and said paid parking would “put a nail in the coffin.”

Discussion Items

• Item 8 (Annexation, 3rd reading): Approved 10-0. Owner-requested annexation of 0.13 acres to connect to city water/sewer.
• Item 9 (Zoning MR for annexed land): Approved 10-0. Established Medium-Density Residential zoning for the newly annexed parcel.
• Item 10 (Zoning AG for North Range substation): Approved 10-0. Established AG Agricultural zoning for a missed parcel in the North Range Business Park.
• Item 11 (Zoning AG for land northeast of Allison & Walterscheid): Approved 8-2. The parcel was annexed over 40 years ago but never zoned. The council assigned AG to align with county zoning. Councilmembers Aldridge and Moody voted no, citing concerns that AG currently allows work camps and wanting to wait for UDC revisions. Others noted this is standard process and proposed changes are already working through planning commission.
• Item 12 (Rezone from PUD to NR-3 for housing): Approved 10-0. Owner-requested zone change to allow a housing development with more affordable units.
• Item 13 (Ordinance on liability insurance jailable offense): Approved 10-0. Clarifies that failure to maintain liability coverage is a jailable offense, aligning city code with state law.
• Item 16B (Belvoir Ranch grazing lease): Approved with all ayes. 3-year lease to Wyoming Cattle Company for $210,000 annually (up from $187,477.50). Council discussed the prior carbon capture agreement, ability to break the lease, and market value.
• Item 18A (Scooters Scoreboard liquor license extension): Approved with all ayes. Extended the parked retail liquor license for an additional year (until January 24, 2026). Currently six licenses are parked; the clerk identified which are full retail.
• Item 19A (Voucher report): Councilmember Moody asked about settlement payments to artists at the Civic Center (explained by Jason Sanchez) and a TIF financial review payment (explained by Treasurer Robin Lockman). No action required.

Key Outcomes

• Votes:
  • Items 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16B, 18A: Approved unanimously.
  • Item 11: Approved 8-2 (Aldridge and Moody opposed).
• Downtown parking ordinance: No action taken; public testimony was received. The petition to repeal the paid parking ordinance was submitted and will be considered.
• Committee schedule change: Due to MLK Day (Jan. 20), Public Services Committee will meet Tuesday, Jan. 21 at noon, and Finance Committee will meet Wednesday, Jan. 22 at noon, both in Room 104.
• Announcements: Council and Coffee this Saturday, Jan. 18, 9-11 a.m. at East Side Dos Bog; Boys & Girls Chili Kickoff on Friday, Jan. 17 at Archery Events Center.
• Upcoming UDC revisions: Changes to AG zoning (removing or limiting work camps) are working through the Planning Commission and will come to Council later.