CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council will take the next step Tuesday to formally ask the Natrona County Commission to put a specific-purpose sales and use tax, known as a sixth-cent sales tax, on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.
The council will work on the details of what would be on the ballot during its work session at 4:30 p.m. at its temporary chambers at The Lyric, 230 W. Yellowstone Highway.
Work sessions are open to the public and livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel. The council does not take formal action on items and does not receive public comment during work sessions.
The meeting agenda stated that on May 28, the council directed city staff to provide a list of capital projects the city plans to in the next two years, and the funding for those has not been totally identified.
The council will discuss this at length today.
A new state law allows a single city to propose projects for a specific-purpose sales and use tax as a ballot initiative. Before this law, an entire county would need to propose such a sales tax. According to comments from Casper officials, Casper was the only municipality in Natrona County that wanted to participate.
Earlier this year, a group of city officials formed the City of Casper Revenue Team. Members are Community Development Director Liz Becher; Financial Services Director Jill Johnson; Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Zulima Lopez; Manager of Public Engagement Jolene Martinez; and Financial Management Analyst Pete Meyers.
The revenue team has offered these recommendations to the council:
- “Each project will be its own proposition that voters may cast a separate vote for, or against. The proposition must receive a majority of the votes cast on it to be approved.”
- “The recommended projects will include specific descriptions of what the tax will fund; for example, planning, engineering, construction, furnishing, equipping, acquisition, operation, maintenance, etc. and if the funding will be used to leverage or match federal and/or state grants.”
These were the probable choices:
- Constructing a second sheet of ice at the Casper Ice Arena, plus upgrading mechanical equipment for both sheets and VIP seating.
- Installing a new quad lift at the Hogadon Ski Area with lighting for Dreadnaught, as well as bike hangers.
- Constructing four fast-pitch softball fields for league, competitive and school teams.
- Constructing an auxiliary gym at the Casper Recreation Center for additional space for leagues, public and hockey use.
- Designing the renovations for the Ford Wyoming Center arena.
- Performing land acquisition and designing and construction for Fire Station No. 1.
- Performing space buildout and technology upgrades at the 911 Emergency Dispatch Center.
- Replacing the aging Metro Animal Shelter building with a new shelter, including design.
- Designing and building a hard-surface trail from McKenzie Park to Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park.
- Designing and building a BMX pump track at Mike Sedar Park.
- Designing and building spectator stands at the Field of Dreams complex.
The Wyoming Department of Revenue has revenue data about county-wide sales tax collections. However, this is the first time any municipality has chosen to propose this extra-penny sales tax, and the Department of Revenue does not have such data.
Casper’s finance department extrapolated what an annual sixth-cent sales tax would generate just in the city, added other factors, and determined it would generate about $17.5 million a year.
The council will also consider several other issues, according to the agenda:
- On May 21, Casper-Natrona County Health Department Director Anna Kinder asked the council for an additional $57,500 for the department’s current fiscal year ending June 30. The city contributes $575,000 or 12% of the department’s total budget. Kinder asked the council for $57,500, or an additional 10% on top of its current contribution for the current fiscal year.
- The council will hear an update of a study being conducted about Casper Area Transit. In December, the Casper Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, through the city, contracted with Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. to study the use of Casper Area Transit, including ridership, fare collection costs, and prediction of ridership that different fare structures may have. The final fare study will presented to the council for review and approval in July.
- The council will hear about buying a cone drive to upgrade the Hogadon Riblet chairlift. The chairlift uses a worm gear cone drive manufactured by Ex-Cell-O; however, both Riblet Tramway Co. and Ex-Cell-O have gone out of business. Timken Manufacturing bought the molds and patent for the cone drive, and it’s the only company that currently makes the cone drive. Meanwhile, the chairlift failed at the end of the the 2023–24 ski season, which forced the early closure of the Hogadon Ski Area. The cone drive didn’t fail, but its replacement is necessary and can be done at the same time as the major repair on the lift’s bull wheel, saving the city money in the long run.
