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Record of Proceedings

Sheridan City Council Meeting July 20, 2026: Data Center Concerns, Subdivisions, and Rezoning

City Council — Monday, July 20, 2026
BodySheridan, Wyoming
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:03

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the July 20th, 2026 meeting.

0:08

It's 5:30, so we'll just go ahead and get started.

0:11

Our invitation for tonight will be given by Joel Huskerson of the Rock Church.

0:16

Welcome, Joel.

0:20

Thank you.

0:21

Would you uh bow your heads?

0:23

Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for the opportunity to be given another day that we're given life here in this uh beautiful place, this beautiful country that we live in.

0:32

And uh I just want to lift up these council members, um, our community members.

0:37

I just uh want to pray wisdom over them that they would be able to make decisions and have discernment that not only uh honors and glorifies you but is in the best interest of our community.

0:49

I pray for the the young families and the retirees and everyone in between uh that that as Sheridan grows uh that there would be a deeper sense of connection uh to this place that we love and that we live in.

1:01

And so we're so thankful for the opportunity to be here uh and live life in this wonderful place.

1:07

And most of all, we're thankful for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross for us.

1:12

Thank you for his resurrection and for the eternal life that he offers us.

1:16

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

1:18

Amen.

1:18

Amen.

1:19

Thank you so much.

1:22

Ashley, could you please read the role?

1:26

Councilmember Lumen.

1:27

Present.

1:28

Councilmember Brands, present.

1:30

Councilmember Wood is absent.

1:31

Councilmember Lightnum is absent.

1:33

Councilmember Whitesall?

1:35

Present.

1:35

Councilmember Patsy?

1:36

Here.

1:37

Mayor Bridger.

1:38

Here.

1:38

Thank you, Ashley.

1:40

I would now take a consideration for the agenda.

1:43

Uh, do I have a motion to approve the agenda as presented?

1:46

So second.

1:47

I have a motion and a second.

1:49

Any discussion regarding the agenda.

1:51

Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

1:54

Aye.

1:56

Opposed.

1:56

Now motion passes.

1:58

I now move on to comments from the public.

2:00

At this time, I'd just like to remind the public to please keep the comments relevant to the city business.

2:05

Please be polite and respectful.

2:07

And it's not a question and answer session, so uh address us as such, and then a time limit.

2:14

If you could try to keep it about three minutes, that would be great.

2:18

And I only have one person on the agenda for tonight, and that would be Mr.

2:22

Grover or Mr.

2:23

Grover, are you here?

2:25

Could you come forward, please?

2:31

Well hi.

2:34

Uh my name is Sam Grover.

2:36

I apologize, I don't have any comments relevant to the agenda tonight.

2:40

But uh what I'd like to address the council about is uh data centers and their future in our community.

2:47

Uh data centers have been a hot topic in communities across the country, including some right here in Wyoming.

2:53

Yet to my knowledge, the city's taken no action to draft a policy of any kind relating to data centers.

3:00

While it's my hope that the city would see fit to place a ban or moratorium on any new data centers, my goal at this time is to simply bring up the issue to you all to get the dialogue started.

3:13

I do, of course, realize that our city would not likely be the optimal place for one of these centers, but I also don't think that presumption alone should prevent our municipality from taking action on drafting a policy.

3:25

As we wouldn't be the first community to be caught off guard by one of these tech giant proposals.

3:31

I also realize that some details would need to be ironed out in regard to what defines a data center, a high performance data center, rather, relevant to size, capacity, power demands, etc.

3:43

And I'm confident those could be ironed out with a little research and some common sense result.

3:48

You all, excuse me, you don't have to look far to see the struggles other communities are currently going through related to data centers.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing████████████████████████████28%
Procedural██████████████████████████26%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████19%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Technology and Innovation███████7%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Sheridan City Council Regular Meeting – July 20, 2026

The Sheridan City Council convened on July 20, 2026, at 5:30 PM. The meeting began with an invocation by Joel Huskerson of the Rock Church, followed by a roll call confirming the presence of Councilmembers Lumen, Brands, Whitesall, Patsy, and Mayor Bridger; Councilmembers Wood and Lightnum were absent. The agenda was approved unanimously. The meeting covered public comments, two public hearings, the consent agenda, and council reports.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved four items unanimously: bid award to Aztec Corporation for the 2026 shared and microservice project ($313,411.44); purchase of one asphalt recycling trailer from Croy Brothers Equipment Co. ($95,651); minutes of the July 6, 2026 regular council meeting; and claims. One councilmember recused from claims items 137 and 138 due to conflict.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sam Grover addressed the council about data centers. He urged the city to consider a ban or moratorium, noting that 15 states are considering such actions and 1,500 new data centers are proposed nationwide (39% in counties with none previously, 67% in rural areas, per Q Research). He cited Cheyenne's water discharge issues and stated the city should set a standard. Mayor Bridger responded that the city has not been approached and likely has no suitable location within city limits, suggesting such facilities would be county matters.
  • Paul Caldera publicly thanked the Sheridan landfill staff for their helpfulness and sophisticated operations. He praised the new coupon card system. Councilmembers echoed appreciation and noted the landfill's excellent compost.

Public Hearing: PL-26-10 – First Avenue East Subdivision (Resolution 14-26)

City Planner Kelly Schroeder presented a minor subdivision lot split at 1039 2nd Avenue East. The 1-acre lot (previously rezoned from R1 to B1) will be split into Lot 1 (32,000 sq ft) for future multifamily development and Lot 2 (11,000 sq ft) with an existing single-family home. Public notification (22 letters) yielded no comments. Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve. Council approved unanimously.

Public Hearing: PL-26-23 – Rezone of Cloud Peak Ranch 15-A Filing (Ordinance 2303-26)

Kelly Schroeder presented a rezone of 3.44 acres at 940 Covey Run Road from B1 to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow canopied outdoor storage of boats, RVs, and vehicles. The applicant, Stan Everett of Twin Buttes Storage, explained they own an adjacent storage facility and want to expand with covered storage; the PUD restricts uses to storage only, avoiding less desirable B2 or M1 uses. Setbacks, landscaping, and architecture will match the existing facility. Public notification (24 letters) yielded one inquiry at Planning Commission about visual impact. Commission unanimously recommended approval. Council approved on a roll call vote (5-0). This ordinance will require two additional readings.

Discussion Items

  • Councilmember Patsy reported on the Sheridan Area Water Supply (SAWS) board meeting, noting a discussion about repair reimbursement timelines. He also raised concerns about false indigo plants at Thorne Rider Park (later confirmed removed) and a storage container issue on Victoria west of Highland.
  • Other committee reports: SPAC (rodeo parade successful, all five elementary schools participated); DSA (report on a medical emergency during Third Thursday; looking into AED locations downtown, compatible with fire department LifePak monitors); Justice Joint Powers Board (annual budget meeting, no major changes).
  • Mayor Bridger noted that Citizens Academy applications closed with 21 participants; the first session is scheduled for the second week of August.

Key Outcomes

  • PL-26-10 First Avenue East Subdivision: Approved unanimously.
  • PL-26-23 Cloud Peak Ranch Rezone (PUD): Approved on roll call (5-0). Two more readings required.
  • Consent Agenda: Approved with one recusal.
  • Next Steps: Staff directed to follow up on toxic plant removal (already done) and storage container issue. Council to continue discussions on data center policy if needed.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the July 20th, 2026 meeting. It's 5:30, so we'll just go ahead and get started. Our invitation for tonight will be given by Joel Huskerson of the Rock Church. Welcome, Joel. Thank you. Would you uh bow your heads? Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for the opportunity to be given another day that we're given life here in this uh beautiful place, this beautiful country that we live in. And uh I just want to lift up these council members, um, our community members. I just uh want to pray wisdom over them that they would be able to make decisions and have discernment that not only uh honors and glorifies you but is in the best interest of our community. I pray for the the young families and the retirees and everyone in between uh that that as Sheridan grows uh that there would be a deeper sense of connection uh to this place that we love and that we live in. And so we're so thankful for the opportunity to be here uh and live life in this wonderful place. And most of all, we're thankful for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross for us. Thank you for his resurrection and for the eternal life that he offers us. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. Ashley, could you please read the role? Councilmember Lumen. Present. Councilmember Brands, present. Councilmember Wood is absent. Councilmember Lightnum is absent. Councilmember Whitesall? Present. Councilmember Patsy? Here. Mayor Bridger. Here. Thank you, Ashley. I would now take a consideration for the agenda. Uh, do I have a motion to approve the agenda as presented? So second. I have a motion and a second. Any discussion regarding the agenda. Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Now motion passes. I now move on to comments from the public. At this time, I'd just like to remind the public to please keep the comments relevant to the city business. Please be polite and respectful. And it's not a question and answer session, so uh address us as such, and then a time limit. If you could try to keep it about three minutes, that would be great. And I only have one person on the agenda for tonight, and that would be Mr. Grover or Mr. Grover, are you here? Could you come forward, please? Well hi. Uh my name is Sam Grover.

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