CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Cheyenne City Council’s Finance Committee opted to support a $671,369 school safety contract Tuesday alongside a multimillion-dollar affordable housing initiative and residential utility rate increases.
The pedestrian safety contract, awarded to Knife River for the 2026 Safe Routes to School project, will fund Americans with Disabilities Act ramp modifications, pavement markings and school zone device upgrades. Improvements are scheduled for Alta Vista, Baggs, Davis and Rossman elementary schools.
When Councilor Jeff White asked for specifics on the upgrades, City Engineer Tom Cobb said the city is installing radar feedback signs to monitor vehicle speeds.
“We found those to be very effective through our critical traffic program,” he said.
Councilor Mark Moody asked about the pavement work, to which Cobb replied the city will be laying down permanent thermoplastic markings. However, Councilor Lawrence Wolfe voiced his disappointment that the city only received one bid for the project, asking if there was a specific reason.
“Everyone is just very busy,” Cobb explained, adding the single bid was still within the expected financial ballpark.
Moody praised the project but stressed the need for more safety investments, such as HAWK pedestrian signals.
“It’s a good start, but it’s still not enough for the safety of our school zones,” he said, adding constituents are demanding the improvements.
Also gaining committee support was an affordable housing package featuring a $3.5 million donation and a $2.645 million land purchase. Mayor Patrick Collins announced the donation from Steamboat Property Owner LLC, a company affiliated with the real estate firm Related Digital. The funds are earmarked to complete the financing for a 184-unit affordable housing development.
“They are really my heroes, you guys,” Collins told the committee. “Our affordable housing effort would be at a standstill but for their amazing gift and their commitment to housing in Cheyenne.”
Directly tied to the donation, the committee approved a real estate purchase agreement to buy 8.37 acres at the northwest corner of Carlson Street and Converse Avenue from KT Land Holdings LLC. The city plans to eventually enter into a long-term lease with a developer to build the units.
White raised concerns about a recent fire that destroyed an apartment complex being built by the same developer just across the street, asking if the incident would delay the affordable housing project.
Collins said the new housing push should proceed as planned. He said the developer is waiting on an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but intends to remediate the site and rebuild the burned complex while also moving forward with the affordable housing units across the street.
“To my knowledge, sir, this should not stop this project from moving forward,” Collins said.
In other business, the committee voted to support a $313,197 contract modification with HDR Engineering Inc. for the 18th Street Reconstruction Project. Cobb said an assessment showed the original drainage outfall plan would have actually worsened downstream flooding. The new design routes the storm sewer down Bent Avenue to 15th Street and into an existing wetland area.
While the city hopes to eventually acquire Union Pacific property to build a larger detention pond, White asked what would happen if that fails. Cobb told the committee he has a contingency plan in place to siphon water off Crow Creek and mitigate flooding risks regardless of the property purchase.
Also on Tuesday, the committee supported a series of rate increases recommended by the Board of Public Utilities. Residential solid waste collection will increase by 1%, while water service fees will jump by 3% alongside a 5% bump in usage rates if the full City Council supports the ordinances. Moody cast the lone dissenting votes against both the solid waste and water rate ordinances.
The committee also approved writing off roughly $18,300 in uncollectible utility debts, which officials noted remains well below the national average for water utilities.
A $252,522 professional services agreement with AVI Professional Corp. to study the feasibility of extending Parsley Boulevard and Wallick Road to accommodate rapid growth in south Cheyenne was moved forward as well.
The committee also lent its support to the $472,997 purchase of a new lube truck for the fleet division, an ordinance defining the terms and conditions of employment for Cheyenne police officers, and annual renewals for employee health, stop-loss and dental insurance plans.
All items will return to the City Council at its June 8 meeting.
The agenda, with links to supporting information, is attached below:
