The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – May 29, 2026

Published on May 29, 2026

A new state law takes effect July 1 called the Fast Track Permitting bill. Rep. Filer sponsored the bill and it’s designed to speed up the approvals of residential building permits in the state and give the state’s home builders some certainty on when they can start a project. We supported the bill. Cheyenne’s city council has worked hard to reduce regulations so our building community can build the homes our residents want to buy. This bill helps support that mission. I attended a work session given by the Wyoming Association of Municipalities to prepare communities to comply with the requirements. Today, our processes meet the timelines, and we are committed to encouraging more housing to be built in Cheyenne.

Another state law that takes effect July 1 that gives local control to the permitting of Historic Horse Racing facilities. Cheyenne has 10 approved locations and our Governing Body had no part in the permitting. The new bill changes that and soon, HHR approvals and renewals will have a local public process at City Council. We spoke with one operator to talk about how to handle the renewals of each license that must be completed by July 2027. I appreciate the Legislature understanding our need for local control and giving local governments the responsibility and our residents a say in the process.

Our City Council meeting Tuesday night was one of the longest in a long time. We had a standing room only crowd that came to talk all things data centers. The agenda included an ordinance that would have enacted a 12-month moratorium on new data centers. In the end, the ordinance failed by a vote of 9 to 1. It was a spirited discussion where many came to discuss their concerns about data centers in the community. On the other side, supporters who work at the data centers came to talk about how the quality jobs they have at data centers have changed their lives. In the end, the Governing Body chose to not use the blunt instrument of a moratorium and to focus instead on making sure each project is properly vetted before it is approved.

At the same meeting, the Governing Body approved almost 250 new housing units with the approval of their final plats. The developers are taking advantage of our new rules to build smaller, more affordable homes on smaller lots. If we are going to build a workforce, we need to provide that workforce with places to live. I so appreciate the small businesses who see the need and are stepping up to build housing.

I am worried that the American dream of owning a new home is becoming harder and harder to make come true. Richard Dixon gave me a tour of new homes he is currently building that will help make that dream more affordable. I toured 2-bedroom, 2-bath, 750 square foot homes that are being sold for $250,000 – a great starter home. They reminded me of the first home Judy and I bought while we were in college in Laramie. It was gratifying to see another builder using our new regulations and meeting our housing needs.

Every quarter, the elected officials in Laramie County get together to have dinner and update each other on what is going on in our communities. This quarter, Burns hosted the group. I really do enjoy hearing updates on new happenings from each community, but I think the best part of the night is just getting to sit down and catch up with other people doing what we do in their community. Getting to know each other helps us collaborate on countywide projects like 5th and 6th penny sales tax planning.

We cut the ribbon on another recreation project on Thursday afternoon – Dunbar Field in the baseball/softball field located in Lions Park. I remember playing softball there years ago, and the restrooms needed to be replaced even back then. Today we have new field lights, bleachers, upgraded electrical systems, and we replaced the restrooms. The improvements also included a concession stand facing Sloan’s Lake that will be open during the day for people walking around the lake. It will also have paddleboats and other water sport fun for people to rent. Our team also brought in 400 tons of sand to create a beach we can enjoy this summer. Grants, a grant match fund, lottery funds, and community facility fees have all gone into the $1.7 million quality of life improvement in our premier City park. I’m proud of our Community Recreation & Events department team members who work 7 days a week to make sure we have community spaces to enjoy.

Thursday evening, Microsoft held an open house at LCCC to share plans for additional areas being considered for the expansion of its data center investments in Cheyenne. While I know that data centers have been the focus of debate in our community recently, I appreciate the company sharing their plans and for having staff available to answer questions. I was pleased to see hundreds of our residents come to see what’s planned and ask their questions. Microsoft showed maps of three new campuses where they are planning to expand. Project Highlands is over 3,000 acres located off South Greeley Highway just east of their existing Bison Business Park development, Project Reed is just over 300 acres across from LCCC off College Drive, and Project Swain is around 200 acres, also off the Bison Business Park. Along with Microsoft employees, Black Hills Energy was there to answer power questions, and the City’s Board of Public Utilities had a table to talk about how they will handle the water questions and water demand from the data center industry. I hope to see more of these kinds of opportunities to give our community a venue to get their questions answered.

I appreciate everyone who organized Memorial Day observances in Cheyenne. It is important that we remember those who gave all defending our nation. I wear a copper POW/MIA bracelet with Col. Stanley Scott Clark’s name on it. He was shot down flying his F4 Phantom while serving in Vietnam on February 14, 1969, and was declared missing in action. It is my hope that Col. Clark and all our missing will one day be brought home, giving their families closure. Thank you to the families of our military members who support those who serve.

When I was on my way home from 7th grade orientation, I crashed my bike when my new bell-bottom pants got caught on the chain guard. I broke one of my front teeth and in the impact caused many of the others around it to die. After 50 years, the root canals finally failed and on Saturday, four of them had to be surgically removed. It is going to take months for the bone to heal and implants to be installed. I am going to miss eating corn on the cob this summer.

I felt a bit old when I attended my great niece’s high school graduation party. Great niece! It’s always nice to get a chance to see family and friends. I am proud of her and the honors she earned. Judy and I wish our recent high school and college graduates the best in the next chapter of their lives.