Laramie County Commissioner Meeting Summaries: October - December 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 county's growth and direction. 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 community input and dialogue. For complete details, visit the County Commissioner's website.

October 21st Laramie County Commissioners Meeting

The consent agenda items were approved. These are routine county business matters that do not require discussion and are detailed in the meeting agenda notes.

• Resolution approved authorizing submission of a grant application to the National Rifle Association to request $165,407 in funding for a gun safe and upgrades to 14 shooting stalls at the Shooting Sports Complex.

  
  

• Agreement approved between Laramie County, WY, and Bintel, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $90,005, to update and expand the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, with the agreement running through July 31, 2026.

  
  

• Memorandum of understanding approved for a HUD use agreement between Laramie County, WY, and the Cheyenne Housing Authority for the Senior Activity Center.

  
  

• Second addendum approved to the communications site lease between Laramie County, WY, and Union Telephone Co. for rooftop space on the building at 2020 Carey Ave.

  
  

• Agreement approved between Laramie County, WY, and Absolute Solutions, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $41,875, for siren maintenance and installation services.
  

• Public hearing held regarding a new retail liquor license submitted by Riedel Ventures, LLC, dba Bit-O-Wyo Ranch Wedding & Event Venue, located at 470 Happy Jack Rd.

  
  

  Several members of a nearby subdivision spoke against approving the license. Their primary concern was that patrons might use the road running through the subdivision to access the venue. Business representatives assured community members that patrons would use a road on BLM land instead of the subdivision road. In addition, the business plans to operate a shuttle to reduce traffic and ensure patron safety.

  
  

  The matter was postponed until November 4th, as the County Clerk’s Office had not yet received the final paperwork from the State Liquor Commission required for the Commission to vote on the issue.
  

• Resolution approved appointing Brian Casey to the Laramie County Planning Commission to complete the term left vacant by Natacha Gaspar, expiring June 30, 2028.
  

• Legal services contract approved between Laramie County, WY, and Law By Lund, S.C., for contracted legal services at a rate of $160 per hour. A resolution was also approved appointing Brad Lund of Law By Lund, S.C., to assist the county as legal counsel.

  
  

  Lund has been employed by the County Attorney’s Office as one of the Assistant County Attorneys, but is returning to private practice to spend more time with family. The contract was approved with the condition that Lund report directly to County Attorney Voss.

  
  

October 7 – Laramie County Commissioners Meeting:

The consent agenda items were approved. These are routine county business matters that do not require discussion and are detailed in the meeting agenda notes.

• A subrecipient agreement was approved between Laramie County, WY, and Cheyenne Health and Wellness, dba HealthWorks, for a $500,000 opioid settlement award, to run through May 31, 2028. The Laramie County Commissioners received settlement funds as part of a 2021–2022 lawsuit alleging that major opioid manufacturers and distributors were responsible for contributing to the opioid epidemic. In 2021 and 2023, the State of Wyoming and local governments signed a memorandum of agreement to establish the State's share and the participating local governments' share. Laramie County received $2,536,860.12 to allocate. The maximum amount per applicant is $500,000.

• An addendum was approved to the agreement between Laramie County, WY, and Paladin Technologies (USA), Inc., for $64,220 to provide, install, and mobilize the Evolv single-lane system and Evolv eXpedite x-ray scanner. The subsequent years of this agreement include an annual lease amount of $41,700. This X-ray scanner will replace the existing Courthouse scanner, which is no longer functional.

• An addendum was approved to the agreement between Laramie County, WY, and GW Mechanical, Inc., in the amount of $125,480 to remove and replace the sump pump at 2020 Carey Ave. The current sump pump beneath the building has not been functioning for some time, resulting in past water damage during severe storms. This replacement addresses and remedies that issue.

• An agreement was approved between Laramie County, WY, and Good Earth Tools, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $41,940, to purchase a hydraulic-powered municipal culvert cleaner attachment as detailed in Exhibit A. This tool will allow Public Works to clean out blocked culverts—rather than replace them in most cases—resulting in substantial savings to the County in both labor and materials.

• An addendum was approved to the contract to buy and sell real estate between Laramie County, WY, and the Cheyenne Housing Authority, for $200,000, to comply with HUD requirements concerning the purchase of the Foxcrest Community Building. This building, located adjacent to the primary Senior Center, is already being utilized as overflow space for many popular programs that have experienced increased attendance since the opening of the new building.

• A resolution was approved giving public notice of Laramie County's intent to amend the 2024 Edition of the International Residential Code, Section R105.2 – Work Exempt from Permit. The resolution serves as public notice that Laramie County intends to amend this section to exempt from permitting one-story, detached accessory structures whose floor area does not exceed 400 sq. ft. This includes conex boxes and sheds.

  
  

• A public hearing was held regarding a vacation, administrative plat, and zone change from MR – Medium Density Residential to MU – Mixed Use for the York Subdivision, 2nd Filing, Laramie County, WY. The purpose of the applications is to vacate Lots 1, 2, and 3 of the York Subdivision, 1st Filing, and create a two-tract subdivision to be known as York Subdivision, 2nd Filing, with a zone change from MR to MU. The subject property is located at 418, 420, and 426 Avenue D, Cheyenne, WY. No members of the public spoke on this item, and it was approved.

• A public hearing was held regarding a zone change from LU – Land Use to PUD – Planned Unit Development for a property south of Cheyenne near the Colorado border. Tallgrass Integrated Logistics Solutions, LLC, on behalf of Lazy D Grazing Associates, Inc., submitted the zone change application. The property is located west of the intersection of Chalk Bluff Road and US Hwy 85, Cheyenne, WY. The purpose of the application is to change the zoning to PUD for the development of the Switchgrass Industrial Park, intended for specialized commercial and industrial businesses, including significant data center and energy infrastructure. The total property size is 1,375.32 acres.                                                                                    

Several emails were received from area residents opposing the project, primarily due to concerns about water usage. One area resident also attended the meeting and voiced opposition, citing distrust of large companies following through with their commitments. During the Commissioners' comment period, I shared information regarding water and power usage for this project, as well as data from other existing data centers in Laramie County.                  

As I've previously explained, these projects will not impact electricity or water rates, as they are required to buy power on the open market. Combined, all data centers use no more water than approximately 500 homes. For the Tallgrass project specifically, a commercial well will be drilled into a stationary deep aquifer, well below any area aquifers. An on-site natural gas power plant will meet power needs.

• A public hearing was held regarding the vacation of Polk Addition, 2nd Filing, Tract 1, and the subdivision permit and plat for Polk Addition, 3rd Filing, Laramie County, WY. The purpose of this application is to subdivide the existing 17.72-acre parcel into two new plats, to be known as Polk Addition, 3rd Filing, with the residential use remaining. No members of the public spoke, and the application was approved.

• A lease agreement was approved for the City of Cheyenne to rent the 3rd and 5th floors of the county-owned 2020 Carey building on a monthly basis while the City's administrative building on O'Neil Avenue is remediated for a yet-to-be-determined CO₂ issue. The City will pay Laramie County $14,850 per month for use of the space.