WTE offers thumbs up and down 1-24-26

Council sets better communication, finishing projects among top goals

UP to Cheyenne City Council members for making better communication with the public one of their top three goals for 2026.

Paired with educating the public about the fifth- and sixth-penny sales taxes, this is an admirable goal ... at least on the surface. The optimist in us wants to believe this is a priority because council members really do want to be as transparent with city residents as possible.

Ward 2 Councilman Dr. Mark Rinne was right to advise city staff to make sure the city’s media email list is updated, and to reach out to media outlets directly to inform journalists about new city ordinances before they go before the council. (As long as they call the Wyoming Tribune Eagle first. :))

But the pessimist in us couldn’t help but note that Dr. Rinne also said during the goal-setting session that “When good things happen, nobody knows. We need to make sure we get our backs patted.”

He may have said it in a joking manner, but we hope the council takes the goal seriously and makes a strong effort to provide as much information as early as possible in the process so residents have ample opportunities to weigh in on important topics.

The third top goal was finishing previously established projects. That’s also a good idea, especially considering how many are unfinished and the hope that voters will support this year’s sixth-penny ballot. Either finish them or close them out.

City Council needs to fine-tune, rein in administrative warrants ordinance

DOWN to the Cheyenne City Council for proposing an overly broad administrative inspection warrants ordinance that has generated a lot of opposition from local residents.

As proposed, the ordinance would create non-criminal warrants to allow certain city officials to enter a property for safety or code-enforcement inspections when they are unable to get the property owner’s permission.

For almost two hours during their Jan. 12 meeting, council members heard opposition to the proposal from 21 members of the community. Most said the ordinance violates their constitutional right to protection from “unreasonable searches and seizures.”

We agree the ordinance is overly broad and needs to be fine-tuned, which is why the full council should agree with the Public Services Committee’s recommendation to postpone a final vote for two weeks. But we agree with council members like Pete Laybourn that the city needs the ability to enter certain properties — abandoned or not — when they can’t reach a property owner and there’s an obvious threat to public safety.

However long it takes, councilors need to make the necessary adjustments to provide just the access needed to keep local residents and businesses safe.

Council, mayor right to prioritize essential services, infrastructure

Speaking of the sixth penny, Mayor Patrick Collins and members of the Cheyenne City Council deserve another UP for prioritizing infrastructure and essential services over “wish list” items.

When voters head to the polls Aug. 18, they’ll decide whether to support 11 city projects totaling $74.25 million (as well as those added by Laramie County commissioners and the small towns). These include fire and police equipment upgrades, city street maintenance and city hall renovations, along with a new fire station, greenway maintenance/expansion, downtown improvements and replacement of the outdoor Johnson Pool in south Cheyenne.

We know it was difficult for Mayor Collins and council members to cut several important items from the approximately $122 million worth of projects they identified through work sessions last year. Among the cuts: $4 million for renovation of the Historic Pumphouse, $14.9 million to fund half of the Reed Avenue Corridor project, $1.2 million for the city’s portion of the minimum revenue guarantee (MRG) to maintain commercial airline service, and $3.9 million for phase one of an Arts and Aviation Center at Cheyenne’s Historic Airport Terminal.

While those things would be nice, and the city needs to find another way to fund the MRG, we feel confident the items that were forwarded to the commissioners for inclusion will get the support of community residents.

Kudos to Braver Angels, state lawmakers for panel discussion

UP to Braver Angels of Laramie County for holding an event last week that allowed members of the public to hear from four local members of the Wyoming Legislature. And another UP to the state lawmakers who agreed to participate in the panel discussion.

During a forum at the local library, Reps. Lee Filer, House District 44; Rob Geringer, HD 42; Ann Lucas, HD 43; and Daniel Singh, HD 61, offered their priorities for the upcoming budget session and answered questions from those in attendance.

While we wish members of the public had been able to get more of their questions in, we appreciate these local legislators for being willing to engage in dialog with their constituents, many of whom disagreed with their positions on several key issues, including property taxes.

Events like this once again prove that even when we disagree, we can do so civilly and respectfully. Thanks to Braver Angels leaders for this latest in a series of such programs.