The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Sept. 5, 2025
Published on September 05, 2025
One of the constraints hurting the economic performance of our state is the lack of housing to support a growing workforce – something that is true in Cheyenne as well. We have state programs to support traditional economic development efforts like paying for infrastructure that will be publicly owned – water, sewer, roads, and land all qualify. What we don’t have are similar programs to incentivize building housing. Cheyenne has a developer that is proposing to build 140 affordable housing units that will make a big dent in our housing needs, but they need some help to bridge a small financial gap. I introduced the developer to the Wyoming Business Council team this week to discuss how we can support efforts to build housing. It was a great meeting, and I am optimistic we will see a groundbreaking this spring.
Cheyenne’s Sen. Pappas is of Greek descent and has the honor of serving on a legislative advisory group in Greece. That relationship has led to a Greek company being interested in bringing a business to Cheyenne. We had a preliminary meeting with the senator to help answer some questions the company asked about Cheyenne and to prepare for a visit later this fall. This company is in 40 countries and has now targeted the U.S. I love that Sen. Pappas is advocating for Wyoming and especially Cheyenne; diversifying our economy and bringing jobs that can help keep our kids and grandkids in the state.
The Public Services Committee met this week and one of the items on the agenda was a vehicle noise ordinance. It was postponed at the last meeting of the Governing Body to give more opportunity for public input. I appreciated the great discussion during the meeting to make sure the ordinance would achieve public benefit by ensuring our neighborhoods are not impacted by vehicles that are too loud. At the same time, there was robust discussion to make sure the discretion given to police officers was appropriate. The ordinance will be voted on second reading on Monday evening. It takes three readings before the ordinance becomes law. I appreciate everyone who has reached out and shared their thoughts with City Council.
Brad Brooks is the director of our Board of Public Utilities. He has been very involved in the group discussing the future management of the Colorado River drainage and recently spent some time at the Legislature’s Joint Agriculture Committee meeting. The upper and lower basin states that are part of the Colorado River drainage have collaborated for years on a cloud seeding program to help increase the snowpack that ends up supporting the river. The committee voted to support a bill that would see Wyoming suspend our support for cloud seeding for the next decade. The Colorado River has been over subscribed for a long time now, meaning more water is being taken from the river than it can support long term. I don’t know the science behind cloud seeding, but I do know this suspension sends a negative message to the other Colorado River states.
For 30 years, Echostar has been a significant employer in Cheyenne. They were one of the first businesses to make their home in our Cheyenne Business Park. You can see their huge satellite dishes as you drive by the business park on the east side of Cheyenne. I asked for a tour of the facility and for a chance to better understand their business. Chris Hardy was a great host and tour guide. I was so impressed with their operation, hundreds of employees, and the incredible investment they have made in Cheyenne.
“Chispa” means “spark” in Spanish. Cheyenne’s CHISPA is a very active group that is responsible for putting on the Cheyenne Hispanic Festival this weekend. They work year-round to promote Hispanic culture and heritage. We gathered in my conference room to discuss this year’s celebration and read a proclamation for Hispanic Heritage Month. Started by President Johnson in 1968 and expanded to 30 days by President Reagan in 1988, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. I have been learning to speak Spanish for two years now. I’ve improved being able to read Spanish, but speaking it is still a huge challenge. I wrote a short speech in Spanish and did my best to thank CHISPA for the spark and service they bring to our community. It went better than last year but still needs work. Come out on Saturday and take part in the celebration! I am looking forward to the food and dancing horses.
Our police department takes crime seriously and crime rates have dropped 20% in the last few years due to proactive policing. The Chamber has expressed concern about Cheyenne’s crime ranking on a national website, but this website compares 19,500 incorporated places in the U.S. and makes no distinction between small communities like Albin and Burns and larger communities like Cheyenne. In this analysis, Cheyenne is in the largest 1.7% of municipalities by population, as three-quarters of U.S. communities have fewer than 5,000 residents and around 85% are under 10,000. I asked our police department for a meeting to understand how crime statistics are reported and learned that no two communities report the same way. What I know is if you are the victim of a crime, that is one too many. I welcome the discussion on how to make Cheyenne a safer community but comparing urban areas like Cheyenne to small-town rural America is like comparing apples and oranges.
I’m sitting in my living room writing this evening. The first NFL game of the year is on TV, and it is so quiet in my house. We have had our grandkids visiting for the past two weeks and I had forgotten how much activity and noise little ones make! I love the little ones, but it will be nice to get some uninterrupted sleep as they have headed back home. Judy and I feel so blessed to have them in our lives.