The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Jan. 16, 2026

Published on January 16, 2026

I do love a rodeo. I am not sure what it is exactly that attracts me, but the skill of the cowboys and cowgirls along with the challenge presented by the animals is a part of it. Saturday, Judy and I attended the National Western Stock Show in Denver for the rodeo and to tour their new buildings. A few years ago, Pete Coors showed me the master plan for the National Western Center.  The investments they have made in new buildings and facilities are amazing. I was impressed by the level of corporate and individual sponsorship that helped make it happen. They have set the National Western Stock Show up for decades of success. We joined members of the Frontier Days General Committee for the rodeo, which made me excited for our upcoming 130th Daddy of ‘em All. You would be proud of the work the committee and our royalty do as ambassadors for Cheyenne and Frontier Days.

We received an update from our city engineer on a few projects that I think you might be interested in. First, in 2017, voters approved a 6th Penny sales tax project to make improvements along the Reed Avenue corridor. It is currently a dirt road with a railroad track running down the middle. The plan was to construct a pedestrian/greenway style promenade along the route with amenities that would encourage private development of the buildings in the area. Many are empty. We have been working for the past five years with the railroad for permission to do the project. City Engineer Cobb reported we have made a lot of progress, and the railroad is now working with the City to make it happen. One demand of the railroad is the closure of four streets where they cross the railroad tracks: 17th, 18th, and 21st streets and Dillon Avenue to the north. The timeline to get final railroad approval is 18 months.

We talked about planning for next spring and getting curb and gutter repaired in the downtown area. In most of the city, curbs and gutters are the responsibility of the property owner. The exception is downtown. We also have a partnership with the DDA to help property owners with their responsibility to keep the sidewalks in front of their property in good repair. The DDA has a 50/50 matching grant to help with the costs.

City Engineer Cobb gave an update on the railcars that are scheduled to be placed on 15th Street. He visited the vendor who is doing the restoration work. The windows are in, the car bodies have been repaired, and they are being prepared for painting. This summer, the cars will be placed on 15th Street to help celebrate our railroad heritage. Ol’ Sadie, Engine No. 1242, is an 1890 steam locomotive that is going to see significant maintenance before being placed next to the Depot on 15th Street. Having these static displays will also help support the museum in the Depot.

The City is working to create the billing system for the stormwater fee that will begin in April of this year. Cheyenne was built on two creeks and has many drainage areas. The Flood of 1985 proved that when mother nature comes calling, we need to have robust drainage facilities and need to keep them maintained. The purpose of this fee is to give staff a funding mechanism to keep our system maintained and eventually improve the drainage in our neighborhoods. Creating a billing system where everyone is treated fairly and gets an accurate bill is the ongoing effort.

The Mayor’s Youth Council meets each Tuesday following a city council meeting. These high school students are in a year-long program where they get an opportunity to learn about local government. It is my hope they will use that knowledge to become more engaged residents and maybe one day run for public office. I am especially impressed by this year’s class. They ask great questions about our city council meetings, and their follow-up questions show their intelligence. I am so impressed and really enjoy our time together.

Larry Wolfe and Pete Laybourn hosted me at this week’s Rotary meeting. I was interested in going as Gov. Gordon was the speaker. He spent time talking about his proposed conservative budget and pointing out all the great things that are happening in our state. I appreciate and understand that both the state and our city must live within their means. I am disappointed the state is making it more challenging at the city level to balance our budget by continuing to cut our revenues. Property tax was cut during last year’s Legislative session, and a proposal to cut local government’s direct distribution from the state is a topic for this year. For Cheyenne, that’s an additional $2 million loss. We will make the best of it, but hard discussions around the state are coming as municipalities and county governments process the cuts and make decisions on what services to provide.

The City is a member of the Wyoming Association of Risk Management, which is how we get our property and liability insurance. WARM representatives attended our department directors’ meeting to share how we are doing with our accident rates. Our employees have created a safety committee, and I’m pleased to say that their efforts are making a difference. We are seeing a decrease in our vehicle accidents. Some of our employees face some real challenges driving extra large vehicles in some very tight places. I am proud of their efforts.

City Council held its goal setting session on Thursday evening. It is one of the only times we all get to spend time together and just talk about the city, and I love it. I appreciate the council members’ honest conversation about their goals and frustrations about what needs to improve. We spent some time talking about previous years’ goals and what we hope to do for the next year. City Council adopted three new goals. The first is developing a plan to educate voters on our 6th Penny sales tax projects. These infrastructure projects are so important to our future, and we owe our residents the information they need to make informed decisions. The second goal is to develop a public information strategy. We want to find new and better ways of informing our residents about what is happening in their city. Communication, communication, communication! The third goal is to finish the projects we have started over the past few years, including the Reed Avenue Corridor, the 15th Street Rail Experience, Pumphouse renovations, and county pocket annexations. I want to thank Dr. Melissa Stutz from LCCC for helping facilitate the meeting. She kept us on task.

We will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact and legacy this weekend. I am looking forward to the events and hope Judy and I will see you there.