The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – May 8, 2026

Published on May 08, 2026

There was a celebration in my conference room last Friday. We closed on a piece of property that is essential to allowing the Greenway to connect from the Crow Creek corridor west to 15th Street and north along Reed Avenue. It is a connection we have long hoped to get. When the property went up for sale, we made an offer that day. After an appraisal and environmental study, City Council approved the purchase. The owners of the property, Nick and April, were so excited to see the City acquire the property, and our Greenway team was all smiles. Another benefit of the purchase is our Compliance Department will use the warehouse on the property to consolidate storage of their equipment and tools in one place. That efficiency will make a huge improvement in their operation.

Five years ago, we started City Council work sessions to educate council and the community. Our last work session covered how our employees are paid and efforts to ensure our employees are properly compensated. We talked about the challenge of compression, the high cost of turnover, lost productivity, and burnout. Next year’s budget is focused on addressing these issues. I appreciate the efforts of our HR staff and City Council’s support for making Cheyenne an employer of choice.

Cheyenne Regional Air Service Focus Team (CRAFT) is a nonprofit group whose sole mission is to bring and sustain commercial airline service to our airport. Getting an airline to serve your airport is a very competitive process and requires the community to provide a minimum revenue guarantee. An MRG provides the airline with a financial cushion if the ridership dips or expenses hurt profitability. We are blessed with a partnership with the County, WYDOT, and the City to provide the MRG each year. This year, the total MRG is $380,000. Since 2018, 240,000 passengers have flown through our new airport terminal, including 59,000 in 2025, the highest amount since the terminal was built. Having commercial airline service is essential for economic development, tourism, and the financial future of Cheyenne.

JP & JJ Moran are a father & son who have operated the Four Winds for 50 years. It has been a social gathering place for many in the community since 1976 and I read a proclamation at the Four Winds marking their 50th Anniversary last Friday. It’s great to see businesses reach these milestones and celebrate their contributions to the community.

The Disabled American Veterans work to ensure that veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country receive the care, benefits, and respect they have earned. They held their state conference in Cheyenne this weekend and I was invited to welcome them to the Capital City. I thanked them for their leadership, advocacy, and service beyond the battlefield. Cheyenne has had a military presence since we were founded in 1867. I know our residents value service to our country, and I appreciate the DAV for supporting veterans.

The mild weather this winter has helped our Community & Recreation Department get ahead with some construction projects. We cut the ribbon on the improvements made at the Dutcher Baseball Complex. New and upgraded lighting, new restrooms, a concession building, bleachers, irrigation system upgrades, and backstop upgrades were all part of the work. This $2.18 million project was made possible due to the support of City Council and the hard work of our CRE team. I think all of us were amazed by the huge group of ball players and their families who were there for the games.

The baseball tournament was in memory of Kadyn Warner who took his life at 14. Becky Reed, our coroner, spoke with the players and their families about taking care of each other and asking for help. The family handed out baseballs so anyone who lost someone to suicide could write their name on the ball – the ball would be used in the baseball games, keeping our loved ones in the game. I wrote Joe Dailey, a friend of mine who played baseball at The Ohio State University, and who we lost on New Years Day.

Housing is a challenge in Cheyenne and everywhere in our country. Jason Mincer from Wyoming Neighbors came by to introduce his organization and describe his organization’s mission to advocate for housing solutions. I appreciate having another voice helping to influence policy to remove barriers to housing.

This week I hit 1,000 days straight of doing a Spanish lesson on Duolingo. I can read it but with no one to speak with, conversation seems impossible. Wednesday evening, LCSD1 recognized seniors who have earned the Wyoming Seal of Biliteracy. That means they have tested and shown competency in speaking a foreign language. I was invited to speak with the students, and I started my talk in Spanish. It was intimidating to speak a language I struggle with in front of people who have demonstrated expertise. I have a regret from my high school days that I did not learn to speak Spanish. I congratulated the students on their accomplishment and talked about the doors that being bilingual will open. I have so many friends who took a foreign language course in school and then let it go. They all share regrets, and I encouraged the students to keep learning and not let their skill fade. I was so impressed by the students that sat at my table and who earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

Amber and I met with the team from the Veterans Administration who are working to expand the Cheyenne National Cemetery. The current cemetery is an amazing benefit for our veterans and will reach its capacity in the near future. We have a 5-acre piece of property that is adjacent to the National Cemetery, and we are working through the VA’s process to expand the cemetery so we can continue the benefit for our veteran population.

I presented my budget recommendations to City Council and community during a work session on Wednesday. The general fund revenues and expenses are $82,765,026. Our Treasurer, Robin, and her team are such a resource in the budgeting process. I could not imagine making the budget without them. Since 2021, some of our revenue categories have grown substantially due to development in the community and strong consumer and business spending. Data center development has played a huge part in an increase in gas and electric franchise fee collections and is also a component in the increased sales and property tax collections.

The increased revenues allowed me to recommend adding some critical new positions, and a 3% pay increase for our current workforce. Our top expenditure is Payroll & Benefits at 72.7%. Every other category was below 4%. By percentage of our revenue, our top categories are Sales Taxes at 33.8%, Gas & Electric Franchise Fees at 11.49%, Property Taxes at 10.63%, Direct Distribution from the State 8.50%, and Historic Horse Racing Facilities at 4.74%.

Our budget is balanced and we will hold the public approval process over the next month.

The moisture this week with the late spring snow was a blessing. Unfortunately, the heavy snow broke off branches on my trees and so many around the city. I have some yard work to do this weekend.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!