OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Council Study Session – August 25, 2025: Subdivisions, Rezoning, Audit Committee, and NUGA Dissolution

City Council — Monday, August 25, 2025
BodySheridan, Wyoming
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, August 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Yes.

0:06

We stand for pledge, please.

0:14

And one nation with the liberty justice for all the way I did stand up.

0:28

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the study session for the council at August 25th, 2025.

0:35

It's 5 30 p.m.

0:37

We had a request from Harvey that he would like to say something.

0:41

And so Harvey, would you like to come up and say something?

0:47

Yes, sir.

0:48

Thanks for allowing me to do this.

0:50

I've been thinking about this for a couple of years.

0:54

It's called Change.

0:57

In the song by Tracy Lawrence, Time Marches On, one of the lyrics is the only thing that stays the same, is everything changes.

1:06

So in most cities and towns, when you drive on Airport Road, we drive at the airport.

1:15

One exception is Sheridan, Wyoming.

1:18

In Sheridan, we access Airport Road off Big Horn Avenue.

1:23

This is a subdivision street.

1:25

Narrow, few sidewalks, and the walkers have to walk in the street.

1:31

At DeSmith Avenue, there's a school crossing.

1:37

And after we pass Zuni Drive, it becomes a dusty gravel county road.

1:43

One quarter to a half mile down the road.

1:47

You're at a dead end.

1:49

With limited turnaround space.

1:52

You can see the airport terminal building, but you'll never get to it on airport road.

1:58

So this could be a problem or an opportunity.

2:03

It may be possible to change the name of this street back to its original name, Ogalala Street.

2:10

But give it some class and call it Ogalala Trail.

2:16

Then take what is now East and West Brunage Lane.

2:22

Start at the interchange 25 on I 90.

2:26

Rename it Airport Road.

2:29

This is a more modern street and intersects with every north-south street and south end of Sheridan.

2:36

Takes you right to the front doors of the Sheridan County Airport, Malcolm Wallum Terminal.

2:44

Hope my suggestion doesn't upset too many people.

2:49

Okay.

2:50

Well thank you.

2:50

So I'm saying.

2:54

How long have you lived up there, Harvey?

2:56

Thank you.

2:57

How long have you lived up there?

2:59

About six years.

3:00

Six years.

3:04

Like we're Metal Arch school is that used to be like a bowl field, and everything up there was your farmland, right?

3:10

The old saying farmland, so it's kind of everything built up around that, but anyway.

3:17

Just curious how long you've lived there for your chat.

3:19

Okay, well we'll get on to the council business here.

3:22

Um I do have eight items.

3:24

We'll get started.

3:25

First is our discussion of PL-25-20 resolution 2225, the Gillespie draw subdivision final plat.

3:35

And with this is our city planner Kelly Schroeder.

3:40

It's gonna be the Kelly Schroeder show for though.

3:43

It sure is.

3:44

It's gonna be that way for a couple months, I fear.

3:49

All right, so uh yes, we are discussing the Gillespie draw subdivision, which is a county conservation design subdivision that subdivision located in the joint planning area, which is the one mile radius around city limits.

4:06

So it is technically in the county, but uh because it's in that radius, we have uh the ability to review that subdivision.

4:13

It's north of Kendrick Golf course, but it's accessed off of West Fifth Street.

4:18

I will show a map in a second.

4:20

It is zoned A, agriculture, and you are urban residential in the county.

4:24

It is 622 acres in change, and the request is to subdivide it into 15 lots.

4:31

Two of those lots will be large conservation lots, and the remaining 13 will be residential lots that are anywhere from about four and a half acres to a little over nine acres in size.

4:43

There is a small portion of the property that is located within city limits, uh, but a petition to de-annex those lands uh has been filed with the city and the county, and it's moving through the process, and it will be my next item of discussion this evening.

5:00

So here's an aerial image of the area we're talking about.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulation██████████████████████████████████████38%
Transportation Safety███████████████15%
Economic Development██████████10%
Traffic Regulation████████8%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Public Engagement██████6%
Cannabis Regulation████4%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Public Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Study Session – August 25, 2025

The Sheridan City Council held a study session on August 25, 2025, at 5:30 PM. The meeting covered several planning items including a subdivision review, boundary adjustments, a zoning change, a liquor license transfer, the revocation of the standing audit committee, and dissolution of the Northeast Wyoming Growth Alliance (NUGA). The session also included public comment and general discussion on future agenda items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Harvey (resident of six years, near Airport Road) suggested renaming Airport Road to better connect to the airport. He proposed changing the current Airport Road (a narrow subdivision street) back to Ogalala Trail, and renaming East and West Brunage Lane (from I-90 interchange) as Airport Road, which would lead directly to the airport terminal. He framed this as an opportunity rather than a problem.

Discussion Items

  • 1. Gillespie Draw Subdivision Final Plat (PL-25-20) – City Planner Kelly Schroeder presented. The subdivision is a 622-acre county conservation design subdivision in the joint planning area (one-mile radius around city limits). It proposes 15 lots (2 large conservation lots, 13 residential lots of 4.5 to 9+ acres) accessed off West Fifth Street via a private 60-foot easement (Gillespie Draw) and internal road (Porcupine Lane). All lots will use private wells and septic. City staff recommends certification that the subdivision conforms to rules and the future land use plan. Council members raised concerns about the planned West Beltway alignment (conceptual, about half a mile away) and suggested ensuring the subdivision does not preclude future road options. The mayor noted staff comments are technical, not policy-driven. Council will decide on forwarding comments to the county at the next council meeting.

  • 2 & 3. Sheridan Heights Ranch LLC De-annexation of 4.15 acres and Annexation of city-owned land (combined presentation). These actions clean up the municipal boundary around the Kendrick Golf Course to match a 2024 property boundary adjustment. The de-annexation petition was filed June 26, 2025; the County Commissioners approved it on August 19, 2025, finding little to no impact. The annexation adds about 0.5 net acre to the city. Since the city is the sole owner of the annexed land, no annexation report is required by statute. The land will be zoned R1. A public hearing is set for the next council meeting. No public comments have been received.

  • 4. Rezone of 1.7 acres from B1 to M1 at 1140 Coffeen Avenue – For Derby Club (gaming/liquor) and Little Goose Liquors. The current B1 zoning does not permit paramutual wagering; an M1 zone (industrial) would allow it. Adjacent properties are M1 or B2, and other gaming facilities (former Wyoming Downs, Lucky 7, Horse Palace) are appropriately zoned. Staff recommends approval; a public hearing and readings will follow at upcoming council meetings.

  • 5. Ownership Transfer for Verdello Retail Liquor License #22 – Administrative transfer from Verdello LLC to Verdello Market Inc. No operational changes proposed. The new owners must still complete the renewal process.

  • 6. Resolution 2425 – Revocation of Standing Audit Committee – City Administrator Stuart McRae explained the committee was created in 2019 under the mistaken belief that auditors recommended it. Auditors confirmed they never recommended an audit committee. The current processes (e.g., direct council communication with auditors, mayor-appointed special purpose committees) are deemed sufficient. Resolution will revoke the previous resolution. No objections from council.

  • 7. Dissolution of Northeast Wyoming Growth Alliance (NUGA) – NUGA was formed in 2016 between Sheridan, Gillette, Buffalo, and Johnson County First to promote regional economic development. Initial contributions: Sheridan and Gillette $50,000 each (~36.2%), Buffalo $28,000 (~20.3%), Johnson County First $10,000 (~7.2%), total $138,000. As of August 21, 2025, the balance (managed by Sheridan) is $230,180. Activity ceased around early 2020. A dissolution MOU has been circulated; staff recommends mayor sign it to return funds proportionally to the original contributors.

  • 8. General Discussion and Future Agenda Items – Council member noted school starts tomorrow (August 26). Council member Terry proposed three items for future ordinances: (1) No jake brakes (engine brakes) citywide, (2) Maximum speed limit of 25 mph for commercial vehicles over 15,000 pounds within city limits, (3) Weight restriction on Highland Avenue (from Pitt Street to Loucks) prohibiting commercial vehicles over 15,000 pounds. Another council member requested an update on the West Belt Loop project status (since a RAISE grant was not received). The mayor advised that council members should send requests to him for agenda consideration.

Key Outcomes

  • Council will consider a resolution to certify the Gillespie Draw subdivision as conforming at the next council meeting; any additional comments may be forwarded to the county.
  • The de-annexation and annexation for the golf course boundary will proceed to a public hearing and first reading at the next council meeting.
  • The rezone for Derby Club will go to public hearing and first reading at the next council meeting.
  • The liquor license transfer for Verdello will be processed administratively.
  • Resolution 2425 revoking the audit committee will be voted on at the next meeting.
  • The mayor is authorized to sign the NUGA dissolution MOU (pending final approval from Gillette and Buffalo) to distribute funds.
  • Council members requested that future agenda items (truck restrictions, West Belt Loop update) be submitted to the mayor for possible study sessions.

Meeting Transcript

Yes. We stand for pledge, please. And one nation with the liberty justice for all the way I did stand up. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the study session for the council at August 25th, 2025. It's 5 30 p.m. We had a request from Harvey that he would like to say something. And so Harvey, would you like to come up and say something? Yes, sir. Thanks for allowing me to do this. I've been thinking about this for a couple of years. It's called Change. In the song by Tracy Lawrence, Time Marches On, one of the lyrics is the only thing that stays the same, is everything changes. So in most cities and towns, when you drive on Airport Road, we drive at the airport. One exception is Sheridan, Wyoming. In Sheridan, we access Airport Road off Big Horn Avenue. This is a subdivision street. Narrow, few sidewalks, and the walkers have to walk in the street. At DeSmith Avenue, there's a school crossing. And after we pass Zuni Drive, it becomes a dusty gravel county road. One quarter to a half mile down the road. You're at a dead end. With limited turnaround space. You can see the airport terminal building, but you'll never get to it on airport road. So this could be a problem or an opportunity. It may be possible to change the name of this street back to its original name, Ogalala Street. But give it some class and call it Ogalala Trail. Then take what is now East and West Brunage Lane. Start at the interchange 25 on I 90. Rename it Airport Road. This is a more modern street and intersects with every north-south street and south end of Sheridan. Takes you right to the front doors of the Sheridan County Airport, Malcolm Wallum Terminal. Hope my suggestion doesn't upset too many people. Okay. Well thank you. So I'm saying. How long have you lived up there, Harvey? Thank you. How long have you lived up there? About six years. Six years. Like we're Metal Arch school is that used to be like a bowl field, and everything up there was your farmland, right? The old saying farmland, so it's kind of everything built up around that, but anyway. Just curious how long you've lived there for your chat. Okay, well we'll get on to the council business here. Um I do have eight items. We'll get started. First is our discussion of PL-25-20 resolution 2225, the Gillespie draw subdivision final plat. And with this is our city planner Kelly Schroeder. It's gonna be the Kelly Schroeder show for though. It sure is.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com