The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Feb. 14, 2025

Published on February 14, 2025

This has been a very busy week. With the Legislature in town, my schedule can change quickly when a bill important to the City comes before a committee and I want to testify. I have to admit, those trips to the Capitol have been mostly disappointing. One example is House Bill 68 that would have helped municipalities build more workforce housing. It was scheduled to be heard by the House Corporations Committee on Friday, but the committee ran out of time and the bill died. I appreciate that some bills won’t get heard due to the large amount that are introduced, but I do question the priority given to bills that are heard versus those that are not. Housing is one of the challenges identified by the Wyoming Business Council as a reason our state’s economy is behind our neighbors. We will need to keep working to educate our legislators and see if we can get these types of housing bills passed in the next legislative session.

One bill that did get momentum is Senate File 40, which would make it easier to change zoning. Currently, neighboring property owners can petition city council to prevent a rezoning and a supermajority of council members must support the rezoning for it to move forward (for Cheyenne, that requires eight votes). SF 40 would reduce the supermajority needed, making it easier to approve future housing projects. I appreciated the discussion in the House Appropriations Committee and their approval of SF 40.

The 90th Missile Wing held their quarterly awards ceremony on Friday. I am the Honorary Commander of the Mission Support Group, and our team won eight of the categories. The team spirit at these events is always inspiring and I so appreciate what these Airmen do serving our country. Proud to be MSG!

I had coffee with Stephen this week to get updates on the Enhanced Use Lease and other projects in our community. The EUL is a piece of property owned by the USAF and located outside their security fence. It is proposed to be developed with housing and retail businesses that would benefit the Airmen on the base and our community. This public-private partnership could be amazing, and it makes me think about how blessed we are in this community with the folks who are investing and building our city.

Junior Leadership of Laramie County held their Government and Legal Day on Tuesday. Commissioner Gunnar Malm and I spent time talking with the class to share our experiences in local government. I am excited that programs like this help educate young people about how to navigate and participate in local governments like ours. It will make them better residents.

For the past couple of years, we have been working with Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Air Force to locate a parking lot on the base with a bridge over I-25 connecting the lot to the CFD grounds. It would make the visitor experience attending Frontier Days so much better than the current off-site busing. The team has spent the last year working on the required environmental study. Projects like this always take longer than you would think but this one is worth the effort.

General Anthony Cotton is the Commander, United States Strategic Command, and he came to F.E. Warren this week with his team. He is responsible for all three legs of the nuclear triad including the missiles stationed here in Cheyenne. He held an All-Call where he addressed the men and women of the Mighty Ninety and answered their questions. I was so impressed with the challenge he shared with the airmen and how important they are in our nation’s defense. That evening, we had a dinner where the senior enlisted men and women from the Maintenance Squadron cooked Santa Maria-style barbecue. I spent time with three senior leaders from USSTRATCOM, one each that served in the Army, Navy and Air Force. General Cotton has spent the past 39 years serving our country and it was fun to get to see him again.

On Wednesday (at a way too early time in the morning), Judy and I attended the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. It was great to see Judge Ronn Jeffrey serve as the MC. The speaker this year was Justin “The Big Pygmy” Wren. He was an MMA fighter who found a calling helping communities in Africa get clean drinking water and improve their quality of life. His story was so amazing that when the Cheyenne All-City Children’s Chorus sang Amazing Grace, I found tears in my eyes and so many emotions. Thank you, Drew Perkins, for the invitation, it was an amazing morning and worth the early wake up.

I met with Brad from Visionary Broadband to discuss their upcoming construction season. They are building a fiber optic network to provide high speed internet for our residents. On Monday, they put construction notices on the doors of the neighborhood north of West Fox Farm Road, west of Patton Avenue, south of Van Tassel Court & West 5th Street, and east of South Arp Avenue. Next week, they will be building the network on the right-of-way in front of each of the homes. (The first 5 to 10 feet of our front yards are actually City-owned right-of-way, and they will be working in that area.) The company has promised to make the process as painless as possible, but if you have questions or concerns, please call the number on the notice of construction. I appreciate the investment being made by Visionary and other companies in Cheyenne.

I am always so humbled that people share their time and advice with me. I call and they share a cup of coffee and their experiences. Jim Weaver is a former city manager whose advice and discussion on city issues is always appreciated. Ronn Jeffery is another person that has been generous with his time. I look forward to our lunches together. This happens each week with different people. We live in an amazing city, and I am thankful.

I lost a friend this week when Vince Bodiford passed away. He was the publisher of the Cheyenne Post and spent his life working in the media. It was a conversation over coffee with Vince that resulted in me writing the Mayor’s Minute each week. Vince was a creative guy who was willing to share that with others. My thoughts are with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Thank you, Vince, you will be missed.