The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Dec. 19, 2025
Published on December 19, 2025
The wind is howling as I sit down to write this week’s Minute. There was a grass fire in the Winchester Hills area south of Cheyenne this evening. When I got the automated emergency warning call, my fear of wind-blown fires brought Boulder County and Maui to my mind. Thankfully, the combined fire departments in our community were able to get it quickly under control. Public support for our fire departments has provided our community with the tools to respond to these kinds of emergencies, and the collaboration between the fire departments in the county gives each a force multiplier when necessary. We were very blessed tonight that the damage was limited.
I attended a number of investment committee meetings this week. The City has an investment committee that I am part of as mayor, and I am also on the Wyoming Association of Municipalities board and am participating in discussions about their investment policy. I find these conversations so interesting. Successfully investing our public funds can extend their impact and help us get more done. The voters recently approved allowing local governments to invest in equities. Investing in equities will require a modification to our investment policy and a conversation about what funds, if any, we might want to invest in this category. I appreciate everyone helping us with the conversation and decision-making process.
We have discussed the need for electricity to power the data centers being built in our city and nation. Finding new sources of power is the challenge the industry is trying to solve. We have a number of developers making plans to provide what we are calling “behind the meter” power. This week, I learned about a company that wants to take natural gas and create blue hydrogen that will be used to create electricity to power the data centers. These efforts may speed up the time to get a data center developed. I am fascinated by the new technologies we see coming to the market and I am looking forward to seeing some of them in action.
Last Friday night, our fire department held its annual awards ceremony. I was honored to speak and share how proud our community is of Cheyenne’s Fire Rescue Department. Part of the ceremony is giving new badges to probationary firefighters completing their first year of service and to firefighters that were promoted in the past year. It was impressive to see how many earned new badges in the past year. We had seven individuals or groups who received an award for saving a life. The most emotional was one of our firefighters who donated a kidney to a fellow firefighter who had struggled for years with kidney disease. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Seeing all the kids in the audience reminded me how important families are to support our firefighters. Spending time away from family to serve and protect our city is especially hard on the kids. Thank you to everyone in our community who sacrifices to serve.
Saturday was a busy day. I joined Council President Rinne and Councilman Segrave at a breakfast with Commissioners Malm and Thompson. We have a great relationship, but we have decided to meet more regularly to keep our lines of communication going. Except for having to get there on Saturday at 8 a.m., it was fun.
Later that morning, Judy and I attended the Wreaths Across America ceremony on the base. Ms. Sallee and Alf from the Veteran’s Remembrance Memorial organized the ceremony again this year and local sponsors provided the live wreaths. I was honored to speak about the need to remember and honor our veterans and to teach the next generation about the sacrifices so many have made and continue to make protecting and serving our country. As we placed the wreaths, we made a point to say their names, so they are not forgotten. I wear a copper bracelet with Col. Stanley Scott Clark’s name on it and the date of 14 February 1969. Colonel Clark was shot down while serving in the Vietnam War and his body was never found. I was thinking about him and his family as we were placing wreaths. Thanks to all of you who have served our country in the armed forces.
The City leased the landfill property to a wind farm developer in 2006, allowing them to install 14 wind turbines. The company would like to upgrade the turbines and are asking for a lease extension to make the investment worthwhile. The City’s priority is the operation of the landfill, and the lease extension might coincide with the need to expand the landfill. We are working on language that would allow a lease extension while protecting the future use of the area as a landfill. I keep waiting for new technology that might render landfills extinct, but until that day comes, we must protect our ability to bury our trash.
Judge Ronn Jeffrey has served the city of Cheyenne for more than 50 years. He founded Youth Alternatives in the early 1970s, retiring after 48 years. Mayor Jack Spiker understood Ronn’s love and passion for kids when he nominated him to serve as a juvenile judge. I was on city council in 2006 when we approved his nomination. Over the years, Ronn’s vision saw more than 50,000 kids receive support and services at Youth Alternatives, changing the trajectory of so many of them. During his time on the bench, he prioritized positive development and accountability versus punishment alone. His counseling background helped him understand kids and to find unique ways of helping them understand what they might have done wrong and to take responsibility. We announced his retirement from the bench this week, but before we lose his 50 years of wisdom, I asked him to serve one more time. Ronn has agreed to put together a task force to study best practices in juvenile justice and then make suggestions to the city council on ways we could improve our ordinances dealing with kids. I look forward to reporting their findings in the next few months. Thank you Ronn for decades of service to Cheyenne and its residents and thank you for taking on one more big lift for our community.
This will be the last Mayor’s Minute for 2025. My staff that helps publish the Minute each week will be traveling for the holiday season so we have decided to take a two-week break so they can enjoy their travels. I will start writing again in the new year. I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a merry Christmas.