Special City Council Meeting on Firefighters' Collective Bargaining – March 12, 2026

The Cheyenne City Council convened a special meeting on March 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers for collective labor bargaining with the Cheyenne Professional Fire Fighters, International Association of Fire Fighters, Local No. 279. The meeting included an executive session (6:04 p.m. – 6:33 p.m.), followed by open discussion of the city’s wage and benefits proposal, and concluded with an agreement to adjourn and reconvene on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. for further negotiations. Mayor Patrick Collins presided; Councilmember Dr. Rinne was absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Chris Thoms, President of Local #279, thanked the governing body for its continued support of Cheyenne Fire Rescue, including funding for new stations and apparatus and the department’s accreditation process. He noted that in 2020 the union voluntarily accepted a wage reduction during the COVID pandemic. He reviewed regional pension differences: Wyoming’s pension pays 2.8% of salary per year of service (resulting in 70% of salary after 25 years for a firefighter earning $90,000), compared to Montana (2.5% per year, 62.5% at 25 years) and Colorado (2% for first 10 years then 2.5%, 57.5% at 25 years). He calculated that over a 30-year retirement a Wyoming firefighter would receive $202,500 more than a Montana firefighter and $337,500 more than a Colorado firefighter. He also cited higher cost of living in other states: income taxes (Montana 4.7–5.65%, Colorado 4.4%) and higher property taxes, meaning a firefighter earning $90,000 living in a $400,000 home would pay $6,300 more in Montana and $4,185 more in Colorado compared to Wyoming. Thoms stated that after studying other Wyoming departments (Casper, Gillette, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Laramie, and Campbell County), Cheyenne firefighters are among the highest paid when including specialty and longevity pay. He requested a recess to caucus with union members (6:43 p.m. – 7:11 p.m.).

Discussion Items

• Mayor Collins’ Proposal: The mayor presented the city’s offer, which included: (1) memorializing the 3% cost-of-living adjustment already granted to all city employees on January 1, 2026; (2) an additional 3% raise effective July 1, 2026 (the start of the new budget year), resulting in a total 6% increase for 2026; (3) revised vacation language to limit the number of firefighters on leave to two slots above minimum personnel (currently 25), intended to control overtime and ensure full staffing; (4) provisions for vacation carryover for military deployment or extended illness/injury; (5) clarification that vacation accrual in the final month of employment will follow citywide rules (no partial-month accrual) as requested by the city treasurer; and (6) updated definitions for rotational positions in Section 2 and new dates in Section 4 of the collective bargaining agreement. Mayor Collins argued that Cheyenne’s overall compensation package – including retirement, wages, specialty and longevity pay – is competitive compared to other Wyoming communities and noted that working in other states involves higher costs of living due to income and property taxes.
• Union Response: Chris Thoms thanked the mayor for the detailed written proposal and requested a recess to review it. After caucusing, the union agreed to adjourn the meeting so they could study the proposal line by line and continue negotiations at the next scheduled session.

Key Outcomes

• No formal vote was taken on the proposed labor contract amendments.
• The governing body and union representatives unanimously agreed to adjourn the special session at 7:12 p.m. and reconvene on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. to continue negotiations.
• The motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Segrave, seconded by Councilmember Aldrich, and passed by voice vote with all present members in favor.