OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Sheridan City Council Meeting – February 17, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodySheridan, Wyoming
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Let's stand and uh do the pledge of what's individual with liberty and justice for all this.

0:25

Welcome everyone.

0:27

Um at this time I want to invite uh invite uh Gary Kopsa from Volunteers of America Northern Rockies to deliver the invocation.

0:36

Welcome, Gary.

0:39

Yes, uh councilman and ladies.

0:43

Uh it's a blessing always to be here.

0:46

And uh pray with me if you would almighty God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

0:58

I've been thinking this last day or so about you, Jesus living in what we'd call our reality, and not overcome by that, not afraid of that, but entering into where we live with truth, hope, joy, sacrifice, salvation, and the gift of eternal life.

1:34

I'm thankful, Lord, that you uh as I read about you, you're always the realest, whether it's about what we call the here and now or whether it's about the next day or about eternity, and so here we are.

1:51

Here we are in a world um of international struggle and chaos, um, national issues, state issues, local issues, family and friend issues, and we just want to come to you right now and pray that your Holy Spirit would give us wisdom and guidance and courage and and and discernment in decisions that are made and and what we do.

2:27

In your name, Lord, amen.

2:29

Command.

2:30

Thank you, Gary.

2:35

Ashley, please um call the roll.

2:39

Councilmember Lumen.

2:41

Here.

2:41

Councilmember Brands.

2:43

Present.

2:43

Councilmember Wood.

2:44

Here.

2:45

Councilmember Lightnum.

2:46

Present.

2:47

Councilmember Patzig.

2:48

Here.

2:49

Mayor Pro Tem Whitezel.

2:51

Present.

2:51

Thank you.

2:55

All right.

2:55

The next item on our agenda is approval of the meeting agenda.

2:58

Uh, do I have a motion to approve uh the meeting agenda?

3:01

Mr.

3:02

Chairman, it makes such a motion.

3:04

So I have a second.

3:05

Second.

3:07

Any discussion?

3:08

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

3:11

Aye.

3:12

Opposed.

3:17

Community update.

3:18

Um with us today, we have uh Sharon County Housing Land Trust, uh, Christine Dietrich, executive director.

3:31

Good evening.

3:32

I know you've seen a lot of me lately.

3:34

Uh this was actually on the schedule to give you an update about Weston Village in January.

3:39

I had some scheduling conflicts, so I'm here tonight.

3:42

So some of the information I present to you uh you may already know or be familiar with, but still here to uh share an update about what we have going on at Weston Village.

3:57

So as you all know, Weston Village uh off of Decker Road is think uh 30 single family lots, um 5,000 square foot to 12,000 a little over square foot lots there.

4:08

There's an aerial view, um, a lot of movement has happened since this picture was taken.

4:13

So a lot more houses are up, uh, but this gives you a good bird's eye view.

4:17

Uh this is just an example of one of the floor plans and some frontages of some of the houses that we're building.

4:24

We're partnered with three different builders, all of them have a few different variations of blueprints and plans that just give a variety of not just aesthetically the outside of the home's appearance, but also the inside, and then just some extra options for uh your household.

4:40

So, for example, in Yarrick's option, which is not presented here, is the only option with the fourth bedroom.

4:47

Um, so for a larger family, perhaps that would be a good option, but the remaining homes are all three bedroom, two bath a long time ago, uh years, years and years ago.

5:00

A long time ago, years, years and years ago, Stu is the only one in the room in front that was a part of the committee when we talked about the need for housing and specifically workforce housing when the city, county, and nonprofit representatives first got together to talk about the possibilities with the ARPA funds.

5:16

And there were a lot of unknowns, a lot of unknowns about how we can meet the need and how this would work.

5:24

We did know though that we wanted to target the workforce.

5:28

We wanted to retain the quality of people that we have here, as well as offer options for folks to move in, such as those in our school district to recruit teachers, good quality teachers to just continue our trajectory of good quality education in our schools.

5:46

Again, we weren't really sure if that would work, but we've been tracking what this looks like, and I'm confident that it has, and we're going to be sharing that.

5:58

So workforce housing permanently attainable through the ground lease option, and that's how the model works with the land trust.

6:06

We have partnered with those three builders that I have said.

6:09

Our last couple of homes will be done end of December 2026.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████18%
Affordable Housing████████████████16%
Mental Health Awareness██████████████14%
Procedural██████████10%
Economic Development█████████9%
Environmental Protection████████8%
Urban Renewal██████6%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Taxation Policy████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Sheridan City Council Meeting – February 17, 2026

This regular meeting of the Sheridan, Wyoming City Council was held on February 17, 2026. Mayor Bridger was absent; Mayor Pro Tem Whitezel presided. Councilmembers Lumen, Brands, Wood, Lightnum, Patzig, and Whitezel were present. The agenda included community updates from three organizations, a WYDOT project announcement, a public comment, approval of the consent calendar, a PUD amendment, two resolutions, and a revised prosecuting attorney agreement.

Community Updates

  • Sheridan County Housing Land Trust (Weston Village) – Christine Dietrich, executive director, reported that Weston Village off Decker Road is nearing completion. The 30-lot single-family community, built by three builders, offers homes in the $231,500–$289,500 range and targets households up to 120% AMI. As of the meeting, 14 homes had closed and 11 were under contract, with six remaining for sale. Buyers include seven education workers, three hospital employees, two public-sector workers, seven vocational/critical-infrastructure workers, and four veterans, with an additional active-duty contract. Approximately 99% of project costs are secured, including $2.6 million in ARPA funds from the city and county for infrastructure. Most remaining homes are expected to be completed by May 2026, with two homes finishing by December 2026. Council discussion included one member's concern about permanently removing land from the private market, another member's support for the program as an option, and Mayor Pro Tem Whitezel's statement that he supports helping working families access housing but opposes models that permanently separate citizens from land ownership.

  • NAMI Sheridan Wyoming – Rita Geary and Terry Markham reported on the organization's free community programs. In 2025, NAMI served 270 participants in support groups and 365 people through 15–16 educational workshops. They noted that 16 of 91 deaths in Sheridan County in 2025 were by suicide, roughly 20%. Therapeutic support groups include a general Pathways group, suicide loss support, and an intuitive eating group. A grant-funded maternal mental health survey found that 72% of local respondents reported struggling with mental health during or after pregnancy, and about the same share knew of no resources. The group is planning a community navigation pilot and exploring youth support services for 2026.

  • Sheridan County Conservation District – District manager Carrie Braboshevsky explained the district's role in water and soil conservation in the Goose Creek watershed. The district, one of 34 in Wyoming, reported FY25 income and expenses exceeded $1 million, largely because of the former ACME power plant project. City GPET funds support staffing, water quality monitoring, outreach, and approximately 100 completed landowner projects. On the ACME site, over $1 million in federal grant funds are addressing asbestos and soil contamination; demolition is scheduled for summer 2026, ending with a vegetated cap. The city's contribution this year was $20,000, including $10,000 for ACME.

Administrative Announcement

  • The council noted that the Coffee Avenue and Brundage Lane surfacing and median project is a Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) project, not a City of Sheridan project. WYDOT is accepting public comment through February 28, 2026, and residents were encouraged to submit feedback directly to WYDOT.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Janie Joelman spoke about the updated transportation plan, which the council will vote on in two weeks (March 2, 2026). She objected to a connector road between Bluebird Lane and the West Side Corridor, saying it was added based on a single question about emergency access and has drawn opposition. She urged the council to consider whether the plan is trustworthy. Karen Schumacher was also on the speaker list but left before speaking.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent calendar was approved. It included acknowledging a request from IAFF Local 276 to bargain collectively; establishing a firefighter negotiation committee; appointing Yoken Weirich and reappointing Rachel Anderson to the Sheridan Public Arts Committee; awarding a bid to Fremont Motor Company for a 2006 Dodge Durango Pursuit at $40,417; awarding a bid to LJS Concrete and Excavating LLC for the South Downtown Phase 1 project at $2,660,588.23; approving the February 2, 2026 council minutes; and paying claims. Mayor Pro Tem Whitezel recused from item 137 citing a conflict of interest.

Discussion Items & Actions

  • Teal Springs PUD Amendment (Ordinance 2300-26) – The council gave third and final reading to the major amendment of the Teal Springs PUD Phase One Master Plan. The amendment lowers the minimum dwelling size from 2,500 to 1,800 square feet and requires a geotechnical report for each lot. City planner Kelly Schroeder presented staff's recommendation. The ordinance passed unanimously by roll call vote (6–0).

  • Resolution 03-26 – Countywide Lodging Tax – Travel and tourism director Sean Parker requested council support for a ballot proposition to continue the local lodging tax. The current total lodging tax is 7%; the additional 2% on the November 2026 ballot would bring the total to 9%. Parker said this is not a new tax and has been in place since 1992. The resolution was approved by voice vote.

  • Resolution 04-26 – Lake Desmet Level Two Study – Utilities director Dan Roberts presented a resolution authorizing the city to submit a joint application with the Sheridan Area Water Supply Joint Powers Board for a Wyoming Water Development Commission Level Two study of Lake Desmet. The study is 100% funded, with an application deadline of March 1, 2026, and is expected to conclude around July 2028. The resolution passed by voice vote.

  • Municipal Court Prosecutor Agreement – City attorney Brad Timmish presented a revised agreement for municipal court prosecuting attorney Zach Leininger. The new agreement replaces a $175/hour rate with a flat monthly rate of $5,500, starting March 1, 2026, for a two-year term; a $550 reduction applies if a court date is missed. Timmish noted the previous monthly billings averaged approximately $5,600. The agreement was approved by voice vote.

Council Comments

  • Councilmembers provided updates from board meetings. SAWS' next meeting is scheduled for April. SPAC is working on repairs and permanent bases. The DSA is monitoring Wyoming Business Council funding. City administrator reported that United/SkyWest will add a third flight April 6–May 20, 2026, at its own expense due to Gillette runway construction. Councilmember Patzig requested an update on the Hume Draw recommendations and expressed interest in exploring tax increment financing for underdeveloped properties.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved.
  • Teal Springs PUD amendment approved on third reading (6–0 roll call).
  • Resolution 03-26 supporting the 2% lodging tax ballot measure approved.
  • Resolution 04-26 authorizing the Lake Desmet study application approved.
  • Revised prosecuting attorney agreement approved.
  • Public comment period for WYDOT project ends February 28, 2026; transportation plan vote expected March 2, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Let's stand and uh do the pledge of what's individual with liberty and justice for all this. Welcome everyone. Um at this time I want to invite uh invite uh Gary Kopsa from Volunteers of America Northern Rockies to deliver the invocation. Welcome, Gary. Yes, uh councilman and ladies. Uh it's a blessing always to be here. And uh pray with me if you would almighty God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. I've been thinking this last day or so about you, Jesus living in what we'd call our reality, and not overcome by that, not afraid of that, but entering into where we live with truth, hope, joy, sacrifice, salvation, and the gift of eternal life. I'm thankful, Lord, that you uh as I read about you, you're always the realest, whether it's about what we call the here and now or whether it's about the next day or about eternity, and so here we are. Here we are in a world um of international struggle and chaos, um, national issues, state issues, local issues, family and friend issues, and we just want to come to you right now and pray that your Holy Spirit would give us wisdom and guidance and courage and and and discernment in decisions that are made and and what we do. In your name, Lord, amen. Command. Thank you, Gary. Ashley, please um call the roll. Councilmember Lumen. Here. Councilmember Brands. Present. Councilmember Wood. Here. Councilmember Lightnum. Present. Councilmember Patzig. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Whitezel. Present. Thank you. All right. The next item on our agenda is approval of the meeting agenda. Uh, do I have a motion to approve uh the meeting agenda? Mr. Chairman, it makes such a motion. So I have a second. Second. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Community update. Um with us today, we have uh Sharon County Housing Land Trust, uh, Christine Dietrich, executive director. Good evening. I know you've seen a lot of me lately. Uh this was actually on the schedule to give you an update about Weston Village in January. I had some scheduling conflicts, so I'm here tonight. So some of the information I present to you uh you may already know or be familiar with, but still here to uh share an update about what we have going on at Weston Village. So as you all know, Weston Village uh off of Decker Road is think uh 30 single family lots, um 5,000 square foot to 12,000 a little over square foot lots there. There's an aerial view, um, a lot of movement has happened since this picture was taken. So a lot more houses are up, uh, but this gives you a good bird's eye view. Uh this is just an example of one of the floor plans and some frontages of some of the houses that we're building. We're partnered with three different builders, all of them have a few different variations of blueprints and plans that just give a variety of not just aesthetically the outside of the home's appearance, but also the inside, and then just some extra options for uh your household.

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