The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Nov. 21, 2025
Published on November 21, 2025
We started a new way of educating City Council and the community in 2021. Friday lunch hour work sessions have proven a fun way to focus on a subject and give City Council a forum to ask questions. Last Friday, we had Britney Tennant, CEO of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter (CAS), give an update on a new way forward in the contract we have between her organization, the County, and the City. For the first time in recent memory, we have a mutual agreement on what services the taxpayers should pay for in our contract for animal sheltering services. I appreciate the new way of allocating expenses and for determining how much the City and County will pay each year. Thank you, Britney, and the CAS board of directors for this effort. We know how much you love the animals in Laramie County that need to find a loving home and look forward to another 50 years of working together.
One of the challenges our community faces is finding enough people to work in the trades to meet the needs of our local businesses as well as the new hyperscale projects being constructed in Cheyenne. Plumbers, HVAC, and electricians are among the trades in great demand. I attended a meeting with folks from state government and industry to talk specifically about how to address the electrical trade shortage. It is especially challenging due to federal and state rules and regulations governing the electricians working in our state. I am pleased that while it is going to be tough to make changes, the group is excited to give it a go.
Cheyenne has 10 Historic Horse Racing facilities approved to do business in town. I wanted to share that your Cheyenne Governing Body did not have any say in the siting of these 10 HHR facilities. State law gives the county commission and the state gaming commission that authority. I have been advocating for local control in siting, renewing, and regulating HHRs located in Cheyenne. Who would be better at making those decisions than the governing body elected by the people who live in Cheyenne? Dr. Rinne and I met with representatives of one of the HHR operators to discuss the issue of local control. We found some common ground, and I hope it will lead to more collaboration on changing state law to give our municipalities more authority. Some good news on this issue is that the Select Committee of the Legislature sent a bill proposal to the Legislative Management Council to support local control. Management Council agreed to send a local control bill to the full Legislature in February.
Friday evening, Judy and I attended the 34th Annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Volunteer Banquet. This is a celebration of the thousands of people who volunteer each and every year to put on our great rodeo. The volunteers are divided into nine different committees. On Friday night, each committee announced their volunteer of the year. It is so fun to celebrate all the volunteers and to acknowledge the best from each team. The winners’ emotions at being named volunteer of the year showed how much the recognition meant to each of them. I am so proud of these volunteers and all of you who give your time to make Cheyenne a better place to live.
I love chili, but unfortunately, Judy does not. So, when I was asked by Wyoming CLC to help judge a chili cookoff on Saturday morning, I jumped at the chance. We tried eight different chilis and my favorite was a red chili that had some kind of cactus adding color and flavor. My sinuses were clear and my belly happy when I left. Thank you to all the chefs.
I served on the student council when I was at East High School and loved the experience. Monday morning, I was honored to welcome 1,000 high school student government officers from across the state to the Capital City. They completely filled the Civic Center. I shared a few thoughts on leadership and wished them great success in their service to their schools and communities. Their excitement was contagious!
I spoke earlier about the need for more people to work in the trades. Monday afternoon, our community took an important step in meeting that need. South High School will be the first school to host a Trades Academy where students who choose a Career and Technical Education path can jumpstart their careers. Meta and many other industry partners will help fund and provide support in training the students in preparation for their entry into the trades workforce. Sixty South High students are in the inaugural cohort and I spoke with many of the students after the ceremony. They are focused on welding, HVAC, electrical and plumbing careers. When they start their careers after high school, they begin paid, four-year apprenticeships that end up with great wages, benefits, and rewarding work. I am excited for the students and their plan for their future.
The Zonta Club of Cheyenne is once again focused on the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. The 16 days from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10 are dedicated to bringing attention to this worldwide problem, the costs to society, and to encourage the community to help break the cycle. I signed a proclamation supporting Zonta’s effort and loved meeting with the members of the club. Gender violence happens in every race, age, and economic class. During these 16 days I would encourage everyone to support those who work to end gender violence and to participate in learning about the detrimental consequences gender violence has on the well-being of our community.
The Industrial Siting Council (ISC) is a state agency that helps permit very large industrial projects in our state and approves funding to local governments to help offset the unmitigated impacts caused by the construction of these projects. I testified before the ISC to ask for additional impact assistance for the new gold mine proposed to be built west of Cheyenne. The project has been delayed for a few years, and I asked for additional funds to account for the inflationary increases in our costs. After a number of great questions, the ISC approved additional funds for Cheyenne. The gold mine is scheduled to start construction in the upcoming year.
Cheyenne started a fire academy eight years ago to train our newly hired firefighters. That effort has grown into a consortium of fire departments joining together to train firefighters from around the state. Thursday afternoon, class 2025-02 graduated from the academy. Firefighters from Sheridan, Rock Springs, Campbell County, Casper, and Cheyenne were joined by family and friends to receive their badges and helmets. The Rock Springs fire chief shared that the training the academy provides gives their recruits a two-year learning head start from the old on-the-job training their department used to provide. Cheyenne has four new firefighters ready to serve and protect.
Today is the 45th anniversary of my first date with Judy. She invited me to Thanksgiving dinner while we were students at the University of Wyoming. So happy I said yes!