Laramie County Commissioner Meeting Summaries: July - September 2025

Several years ago, the Laramie County Commissioners began live-streaming their meetings and making previous meetings available for public viewing. Everyone should take advantage of this valuable service and stay informed about decisions that affect the growth and direction of the county. Laramie County - Calendar (legistar.com) I will post a brief synopsis of the bi-monthly Commissioner meetings on my Facebook page, including my comments, and welcome input and dialogue from the community. For complete details, visit the County Commissioner's website.

August 5th Laramie County Commissioners Meeting:

The consent agenda items were approved. These are regular county business items that do not warrant discussion. They are all listed in detail on the meeting agenda notes.

* Resolution approved to rescind the possession of firearms personnel policy. The new policy will permit eligible employees or volunteers to carry a concealed firearm on County property, unless prohibited by federal or state law or by a court order.

* Agreement approved between Laramie County, WY, and Cheyenne Regional Air Service Focus Team (CRAFT) in care of LEADS. The purpose of the agreement is for the county to pay a portion of the Minimum Revenue Guaranteed funds to CRAFT for payments to SkyWest Airlines to provide scheduled flight service between Cheyenne and Denver. The county shall pay CRAFT up to $253,571.40 for fiscal year 2026. The FY26 agreement shall terminate automatically upon exhaustion of the $253,571.40 or on June 30, 2026, the end of the 2026 fiscal year—whichever is earlier.

This agreement is vital to maintaining passenger air service for the Cheyenne Airport.

* Public hearing held regarding the adoption of the 2025 Laramie County Land Use Regulations. (Postponed from the July 1 and 15, 2025, meetings)

* Public hearing held to amend the unincorporated Laramie County zone district map. (Postponed from the July 1 and 15 meetings)

* Public hearing held regarding a resolution adopting the Laramie County Planning and Development FY25/26 fee schedule. (Postponed from the July 1 and 15, 2025, meetings)

The above public hearings were collectively conducted and commented on, but the Commission voted on them separately. During this meeting, between 250 and 300 people attended to share their opinions on the proposed land use regulations. Unfortunately, before the meeting, a significant amount of misinformation was circulated throughout the community via social media and flyers, which led to confusion and frustration among some attendees. Most of the concerns expressed centered on the Home Occupation section of the proposed land use regulations.

Neither the previous nor the updated regulations restrict or prohibit livestock ownership, FFA and 4-H participation, or agricultural activities such as selling home-raised produce and eggs. These uses are fully protected under both state law and county policy.

After listening to the at-times impassioned statements from community members, the Board unanimously voted to amend the land use regulations, removing the controversial Home Occupation permits, associated fees, and site plan requirements. The County Commissioners support small home businesses and believe the amendment removes an unnecessary burden on those operating from home.

The rest of the land use regulations were approved as written, although there was some pushback on those as well.

In the end, we had only a few options to choose from: approve the proposed regulations; vote down the proposed regulations and remain with the current, more restrictive ones; or completely remove all land use regulations. One advantage of the new regulations is that they eliminate the need for an engineering firm to review a simple site plan—a process that typically costs between $20,000 and $30,000. The County Planning Office already has all the necessary data in its GIS mapping system to assist applicants in creating a simple site plan. Under the new regulations, applicants only need to pay a $30 application fee.

Beyond the Home Occupation issue, many speakers expressed a desire to eliminate all land-use regulations and allow landowners to do as they please on their property. While this may sound appealing in theory, it would remove all safeguards—potentially allowing, for example, a concrete batch plant to open next to someone’s home, thereby damaging property values and quality of life. Appropriate regulations serve a valuable public purpose by protecting the community as a whole and striking a balance between business and residential interests.

Final Note:

It was gratifying to see so many people attend this meeting and share their concerns and ideas. Public comments from this meeting—and others held regarding the Land Use Regulations—were a vital part of the process, with many incorporated into the final version of the document. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in the civic process.

July 15th Laramie County Commissioners meeting:

* The consent agenda items were approved. These are regular county business items that do not warrant discussion. They are all listed in detail on the meeting agenda notes.

* Addendum approved between Laramie County, WY, and FRSecure, LLC, in the amount of $48,000 to provide information security services as described in attachment A. This amount is part of a 4-year service agreement, which saved the county one full year of service. 

* Addendum approved to the jail services agreement between Laramie County, WY, and TW Vending, Inc., dba Turnkey Corrections, to provide commissary services at the Detention Center as fully described in attachment

* Resolution to prohibit open carry for all county buildings and facilities, effective July 15, 2025, was unanimously opposed by the commissioners. (Postponed from the July 1, 2025, meeting) My personal feelings on this issue are as follows. Since we already allow concealed carry in County buildings, excluding security areas, requiring law enforcement interactions with open carry citizens exercising their rights could create an unnecessary and volatile situation and get someone hurt.

* Public hearing regarding the adoption of the 2025 Laramie County Land Use Regulations postponed until the August 5th Commissioners meeting.  This is due to some additional input that the County Attorney's Office needs time to evaluate and give an opinion on.

* Public hearing to amend the unincorporated Laramie County zone district map and a public hearing regarding a resolution adopting Laramie County Planning and Development FY25/26 fee schedule were also postponed until the August 5th Commissioners meeting.

* Public hearing held regarding a zone change from AR - Agricultural Residential to CB - Community Business for a property located at 2607 and 2611 Whitney Road. The application has been submitted to accommodate the proposed Wits End Adventure Park. This will be a recreational entertainment venue that will initially feature an outdoor paintball field and axe-throwing area. The LCLUR identifies entertainment and recreation facilities as a use by right in the CB zone district.

We received one email from a citizen on this item who lives in the area. They were concerned about the road due to added traffic from the proposed venue. As this was just a zoning change and met all requirements for approval, it was passed unanimously. The project still needs to undergo the site plan approval process; at that time, any items of concern will be addressed, including potential increased road traffic.

* Public hearing held regarding a subdivision permit and plat for Archer Estates, 12th Filing, located at 7655 Westedt Road. The proposed subdivision will create two (2) residential tracts from the parcel.  There was no public comment, and the item was approved.

For complete details, visit the County Commissioner's website.

July 1st Laramie County Commissioners meeting:

* The consent agenda items were approved. These are regular county business items that do not warrant discussion. They are all listed in detail on the meeting agenda notes.

* Subrecipient agreement approved between Laramie County, WY, and Memorial Hospital of Laramie County dba Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for a $499,869.33 opioid settlement award to run through May 31, 2028.

* FY26 contract approved between WY Office of the Attorney General, Division of Victim Services, and Laramie County, WY, for the Sheriff's office Victim Services Program for $140,000 with matching funds not to exceed $50,000 to run through June 30, 2026. This is the yearly contract to provide victim services to the citizens of Laramie County through the Sheriff's Office.

* Memorandum of understanding (MOU) approved between Laramie County District Court, Laramie County Circuit Court, Laramie County, WY, and Laramie County Sheriff's office concerning security procedures for the Laramie County Governmental Complex.

* Contract modification approved between Laramie County, WY, and TC Solutions, LLC, in the amount of $$991,680.64 to allow TC Solutions, LLC, to continue to manage the Archer Sewer Connection Project.  This modification enables TC Solutions to continue managing the Archer Sewer Connection Project. The alignment of the sewer system has changed since the original Owner's Representative contract was signed. There is an additional mile of sanitary sewer and a direct connection to the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities Treatment Plant. This modification will enable TC Solutions to continue managing the Archer Sewer Connection Project. The $991,680.84 represents the total cost of several ongoing projects, and the requested modification adds $27,060.00.

* Agreement approved for road maintenance between Laramie County, WY, and Banner County, NE, for maintenance of Laramie County Rd 164, also known as Banner County Rd 1, and also known as State Line Rd on a common boundary.

* Resolution approved adopting the County Personnel concealed carry policy.

* Resolution approved to prohibit open carry for all county buildings and facilities, effective July 1, 2025. This resolution is in response to the passage of House Bill 0172 during the last legislative session, which repealed "gun-free" zones. 

* Resolution approved to authorize Gunnar Malm or any acting Chair to the Board of County Commissioners for the execution of documents at the request of HUD and Cheyenne Housing Authority. This item explicitly addresses the anticipated transfer of real estate for the new Senior Center building at 4100 E. Pershing and the Fox Crest facility, located at 4125 Fox Court, which is currently under contract between the county and the Cheyenne Housing Authority.

* Resolution approved giving public notice of Laramie County's intent to amend the 2024 International Residential Code, Section R303.5.10 Interior Finish.

* Public hearing held regarding the adoption of the 2025 Laramie County Land Use Regulations (LUR). The vote on the LUR was postponed and moved to the July 15th Commissioners meeting.  This was done to ensure transparency, as several public comments were received after the Planning Commission had voted the previous Thursday at their regularly scheduled meeting to recommend approval by the Commissioners. The County Planning Director, Justin Arnold, wanted to consider the final comments.  Even though it was postponed, the Commission allowed any interested parties to speak on the item at this meeting. 

First, a bit of back story on this issue.  Every so many years, or as necessary, the LUR is reviewed and updated to reflect the growth and changes in Laramie County.  Great effort is taken to gather public comment and incorporate that feedback into the new rules.  This time was no different.  The proposed updates to the LUR have been in development for about two years before being rolled out to the public for discussion during numerous advertised public meetings.

The first meeting was held in January, at which hundreds of people attended to voice their concerns that the LUR was a land grab.  After each of these meetings, which lasted several hours, Director Arnold took the suggestions presented and, where feasible, incorporated them into the LUR document. With each iteration of the LUR during this process, the number of community members with concerns decreased. 

Fast forward to this meeting.  Between January and now, the number of concerned citizens has decreased to just a handful who are still unhappy with the final draft of the LUR.  Their concerns were varied, but I will summarize them.  Some still believed the proposed LUR is a land grab, some believed that government should have not say so if people's property is filled with trash or junked vehicles, one individual asked if we had considered sending out a Facebook poll to determine if the majority of Laramie County residents supported the new LUR and one gentleman stated that the LUR would in some way violate the US Constitution.  Regarding nuisance violations, which are enshrined in state statute, the county is required to enforce them. 

The new LUR is in no way a land grab and is deregulatory compared to the last version.  I'm unsure where to begin with the Constitutional concerns.  The LUR has been reviewed extensively by the County Attorney's Office, and it complies with all applicable state and federal guidelines. 

I completely understand that not everyone will be happy with every aspect of the new LUR, but it was created with good intentions and allowed for extensive public input. Is it perfect? No, but nothing is.  I will be voting to approve it when it comes before us again on July 15.

* Public hearing held to amend the unincorporated Laramie County zone district map and postponed to July 15.

* Public hearing held regarding a resolution adopting the Laramie County Planning and Development FY25/26 fee schedule and postponed to July 15.

* Public hearing held regarding a subdivision permit and plat for Star Gardens located at the northwest corner of Happy Jack Road and McDonald Road. The proposed subdivision will create three (3) residential tracts from the 22.00-acre parcel. No one from the public spoke on this issue, and it was approved.

* Public hearing held regarding a vacation of Tracts 19, 20, 26, Fedorrosa Ranchettes, and administrative plat known as Federrosa Ranchettes, 2nd Filing, located at 1962 and 1978 Road 120. The application would reconfigure the existing three tracts into three new tracts of land for ease of use around the floodplain. No one from the public spoke on this issue, and it was approved.

For complete details, visit the County Commissioner's website.