The Council Chronicle from Dr. Mark Rinne– Sept. 19, 2025

Published on September 19, 2025

Mayor Collins asked if I would write the Mayor’s Minute for this week. I reluctantly agreed – Mayor Collins does such a good job that he is a hard act to follow. My apologies to those of you wishing to hear from the Mayor. Instead, you are getting the Council Chronicle.

We have had a few interesting issues on the City Council agenda recently. I will try to address some of highlights.

Recently, the City annexed approximately 17 acres to the north and west of Sam’s Club. This development action is called the Winco Development and is for a Winco Grocery. I knew nothing about Winco so I did a little research. They are headquartered in Boise and they have approximately 138 locations around the United States. Most of their locations are in the West. However, they have been moving into Texas and Oklahoma and now, Wyoming. Winco is a no-frills, warehouse style store and they have a large selection of bulk foods. One thing that I found interesting is that they do not accept credit cards.

As many of you are aware, a vehicle noise ordinance is working its way through our committees and Council. The ordinance applies to not only engine noise but sound systems as well. Over the last two years we have all received complaints in regard to vehicle noise. Primarily, the complaints have involved motorcycles either late at night or in the early morning. We do have an existing vehicle noise ordinance that has been in place for 30 years, which states that a vehicle is in violation if the noise coming from the vehicle exceeds 80 decibels when measured at 25 feet. Just for reference, a gas-powered lawnmower emits about 80-85 decibels.

What we have learned is that it is virtually impossible for our officers to meet that standard in moving traffic. Our new ordinance gives officers latitude in determining whether to write a ticket or not. It is up to their discretion as to whether to write a ticket based on a handful of factors; most importantly, the location and the time of day. The ordinance is patterned after a similar one in the region that has been used successfully. The penalties are the standard misdemeanor penalties that are determined by the State of Wyoming. I am assuming that the Vehicle Noise Ordinance will pass on third reading on Monday night.

I want to remind everyone that the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance went into effect earlier in the month. I am aware that the ordinance made some people unhappy. However, I would like to point out that during my years on Council I have received more complaints about campers, trailers and RV’s parked on the street than any other issue. The ordinance defines any vehicle in excess of 25 feet in length, eight and a half feet in width, and nine feet in height as being oversized.

Council approved a bid for $662,000 for new lights at the Dutcher Baseball Complex. We are adding lights to three fields and replacing lights at two fields. The lights being replaced were installed in the 1970s and the poles were rotting. The new lights will have more power and require less energy than the old lights. This improvement allows us to maximize use of those fields and save us the cost of developing new fields.

I have been told by Commissioner Malm that the monies for the 6th Penny Specific Purpose Option Tax will be collected sometime in 2026. The Commissioners are anticipating a vote to renew the tax taking place sometime next summer. He has asked that we have our projects decided upon and finalized by February. As a result, we have had some work sessions to start going through requests for the next 6th Penny tax.

Cheyenne Rec and Events has a request for $3.5 million to extend the Greenway around the City. They are looking at improving connections to some areas and neighborhoods that the Greenway does not yet reach. There was an additional request for $4 million for maintenance and upkeep on the existing sections of the Greenway.

CRE also has a request to replace the Johnson Pool. It is 71 years old. Apparently, there are no more band aids available to keep the pool functioning and it either needs replaced or remain closed. The replacement cost would be $15 million for an enclosed pool and $8 million for an open air pool.

There was a proposal from a group to convert the old airport terminal into an Arts Center and an Aviation Museum. I think that this would be a great reuse of the building. The Airport Board repaired the iconic roof last summer. The group’s request from us was for $3 million to secure the shell of the building.

One of the projects that the City is looking at is a major remodel of the Municipal Building, which was built in 1979 and it no longer functions as well as it once did. Some of our departments have grown or changed over that time and needs have changed. An example is that the City Council offices have been moved three times since I have been there. One department or another has outgrown their space and needed ours. The building was built before computers were used and the fiber and connectivity have been cobbled together over time. The Municipal Building was also built prior to security being an issue in our society. Anyone could walk in and wander all over the building. We have made some security improvements, but it continues to be a concern to our employees. Finally, the building is barely ADA compliant, if at all.

There was a proposal to build a new City Hall in the north parking lot. This had the advantage of allowing the City to operate in the existing building while the new one was being built. In addition, it would actually provide us more room than we currently have. Once the construction was completed, the existing City Hall would be torn down and a plaza between the new building and the Civic Center would be created. Personally, I liked this plan. Unfortunately, the costs were estimated at $10 million more than the cost for the remodel. I think that the Council’s sentiment will be to save the money and look at remodeling of our building.

The Cheyenne Police Department had a $3.7 million request for support and upgrades to our digital software. This proposal would allow the department to link officers body-worn cameras and in-car cameras as well as provide secure storage of videos. In addition, the Department would purchase some new Tasers with the funds.

We have a few more 6th Penny presentations to listen to. I have asked our City Engineer for a presentation on Reed Avenue. in addition, the Administration wants us receive information in regard to the need for one or two more fire stations, and improvements to the Street and Alley and Fleet Maintenance shops.

Wow, when I started I was worried that I would not have enough material to write about and now I actually thought of some topics I could write more about. I also do a monthly Council update on the City’s YouTube Channel so you can always check that to see what we are doing. Have a great weekend. GO POKES! BEAT CU!

- Dr Mark Rinne, Cheyenne City Council