The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – July 11, 2025
Published on July 11, 2025
One of my top goals as mayor is to see the city build enough housing units to meet demand and give our residents housing that fits their budgets. I am concerned that the lack of housing will cause Cheyenne to miss out on local businesses expanding or new businesses choosing to come to Cheyenne due to the lack of a workforce. You can’t build a workforce if they don’t have an appropriate place to live. I also feel for families that spend too much of their budget each month for a place to live. It leaves those families scraping to get by. When you have more demand than supply, prices will rise, and the ever-increasing price of housing is devastating to too many Cheyenne families.
Recent Census data shows Cheyenne and Laramie County are making some progress in the housing challenge. Since 2020, we have built 2,779 new housing units, or 28% of all the housing units built in the state. We now have 46,960 housing units in the county. The area where Cheyenne and Laramie County are really struggling to make a dent is in affordable housing. We are working with developers to encourage them to build more units, but these kinds of developments require a private public partnership and there is not enough money on the public side to meet the demand. While I share the housing concern, I also wanted to share the successes that are happening in our county.
The police department has a small group that represents the interests of the officers. The PPA and I met again this week to discuss compensation and benefits. I enjoy the challenges they present and doing the research to make sure we are treating our officers well. A plug – we currently have four openings in our police department. Wages start at $62,500 and you can retire in 20 years with a state pension. Combined with a strong benefit package, it is a great career.
I was a guest on the Wyoming Business Council podcast, “What’s the Point,” with CEO Josh Dorrell. It was an opportunity to talk about what is going on in Cheyenne. The hour flew by, and I want to thank Josh for the opportunity to tell our story. The Business Council is working to identify barriers to growth in Wyoming and develop strategies to break those barriers down. I appreciate the support they provide.
I had a developer that wanted to talk about a potential infill housing development. This development would require a zone change to fit the proposed type of housing, and the discussion included the concern that neighbors may not like to see higher density, single family-style homes built near them. The challenge is the cost of new housing typically being built in Cheyenne is too expensive for many of our residents. Building smaller units with higher density will result in a more affordable home for Cheyenne residents to buy. We need attainable housing and balancing that need with neighbor concerns will take significant discussion.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is a week away. It takes our entire community to host the “World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration” every year. Coordinating the events and ensuring public safety was the topic of a meeting this week. The Public Safety Building was packed with representatives from at least 22 agencies and departments in attendance. I left the meeting feeling comforted by the amazing team that works so well to make sure CFD is a fun and safe event. Thank you to all the volunteers that give their time to make sure our residents and visitors feel the love.
One of the mayoral duties I really enjoy is being on the LEADS board of directors. I do have one concern about LEADS and insistence on 7 a.m. meetings, sigh! On Thursday, they held a board training on entrepreneurship resources to help us understand what resources are available in our community to help grow our local businesses. Betsey reminded us that every business started as a small business. Kenny Overby from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center shared the resources they provide. Taylor Vignaroli from the Wyoming Business Council talked about barriers to the state’s growth and their desire to partner with small businesses to help them grow. Lindsey Stutheit from the LCCC Business Studio shared the ways they help small businesses bridge the gaps to success. I hate early mornings, but I loved the presentations and the great news that entrepreneurs with a desire to build a business can find support for their future success.
The Cheyenne Police Department’s 16th Annual Neighborhood Night was held on Thursday evening. There were 15 block parties across the city designed to bring neighborhoods together and for our police department and other first responders to meet everyone. I always try to go to as many block parties as possible, and I usually make it to around four or five. I get to talking with so many great people and eating amazing food that I run out of time. The Boys and Girls Club party was a highlight this year. It was rocking and I loved meeting the kids. Allen Chappel showed me so much hospitality and ice cream. I want to thank the people who hosted the block parties and brought the neighborhoods together and the police department for sponsoring this event for 16 years now.
Judy and I spent the 4th of July weekend in Bismarck, N.D., to celebrate our granddaughter’s first birthday. It is awesome to watch your children become parents and raise kids of their own. Papa and Nana loved getting to spend time with the grandkids. I will say that their energy left me a bit exhausted at the end of the weekend. It seems like our granddaughter was born just a few months ago – time sure flies by.