[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6241595,"mediaKeyId","3255347-8bc46f71de0419c213b56849e13c2c9a","parentId",3255347,"title","Cheyenne engineering director details $28.5 million in work, proposes code changes and new asset‑management rollout","audioSeconds",657,"startMs",2740720,"endMs",3398609,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3255347-8bc46f71de0419c213b56849e13c2c9a&start=2740&end=3398","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3255347-8bc46f71de0419c213b56849e13c2c9a/thumbnail_2740720.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6241595/Cheyenne/Laramie-County/Wyoming/Cheyenne-engineering-director-details-285-million-in-work-proposes-code-changes-and-new-assetmanagement-rollout","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6241595-825d92c4d7d0eaf46549a4667cb911a5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770424303&Signature=ZqyHJrtsolH6df7YqpwzQaIGaj2WDtpfbQvevzFlXnoy-S0ylLmKLbIrj8URAZaKqeS1UoX1QXyqrz3eIOVWpJSC5rarCpORTidjF9qkASZdwULr-oeI68IPVk1fx3TrYoElbSzz9WMQJTpGASxwiHwETfxdFykbg5l4jUniEWgsbEzzTvFHCjYZc6nGmq7BV6VLpE5fx4grGkNUas~oy~Ak6TpjSghbUMOSq0VVcUD5Z7r21RbmUMloOlYXL0p2hE0VUA~HNSHlDv4SBHqHI2Y7WHW5DMSG~QWEQHvEZxaumY6QoZ9vuHSdA~1kpDuCmME5UNNy6StUJ1BOeymRTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Cheyenne WY","date","2025-05-09T17:59:24Z","article","Tom Cobb, director of Cheyenne’s engineering division, told the City Council the department completed roughly $28.5 million in maintenance and capital work in the prior year and outlined strategic goals, major projects and staffing challenges for fiscal year 2026.

Cobb said the city completed about $11 million in maintenance projects and about $17.5 million in capital construction in the most recent period, for a total of about $28.5 million of work. He listed major projects delivered or in progress — Belvoir Ranch Trailhead phase 1, Van Buren Storm Interceptor, Powder House Road and Carlson intersection improvements, the I‑180 pedestrian lighting and underpass work, and multiple mill‑and‑overlay and crack‑seal contracts — and said 11 of 18 planned projects were already out to bid or contracted.

Cobb also described strategic priorities for 2026: implementing an asset‑management system (Cartegraph, now part of OpenGov, for right‑of‑way and stormwater assets), advancing the unified development code (including drainage impact study enhancements), pursuing additional transportation and drainage grants (he said staff are pursuing roughly $17–$20 million in potential grant funding), and proposing code revisions to define public‑private partnerships, off‑site improvement reimbursement, and maintenance responsibilities for right‑of‑way connections and alleys used by commercial or multi‑family properties.

On staffing and capacity, Cobb said the engineering division is short‑staffed and recruited for a deputy city engineer; he described widespread shortages of qualified contractors and consultants, extended fabrication and supply lead times for items such as signal poles and concrete pipe, and the department’s difficulty scaling day‑to‑day workload. He warned that project timelines from concept to completion typically take one to two years and that many processes are constrained by design, bidding and construction schedules.

Budget and project specifics Cobb provided:
- Total work completed in 2025 (maintenance + capital): about $28,500,000 (maintenance ~ $11,000,000; capital ~ $17,500,000).
- Planned maintenance work for the coming summer: approximately $9,900,000 in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation projects.
- Capital construction in progress or planned: approximately $8,400,000 currently contracted or bid; Story Boulevard extension budgeted at about $1.9 million.
- Cobb reported a department budget decrease of $221,840 for FY2026 overall and noted one‑time reductions in professional services and equipment purchases tied to prior year expenditures.

Cobb described the Cartegraph/OpenGov rollout (phase 1 targeting stormwater elements and signals), and said he assigned a department employee (Sri) to lead the asset system transition. He also said he intends to pursue code changes that would shift maintenance responsibility for alleys used for commercial or multifamily access to the private users, with exceptions when developers construct those alleys to city standards.

Several councilmembers asked questions about schedules and specific projects. Councilman Esquivel asked about a pilot for the Reid Avenue corridor; Cobb said a BNSF agreement was outstanding and he hoped for movement late fall or next year. Councilman Seagrave asked whether dredging work could be visible next year; Cobb said two culvert projects east of Converse and other dredging designs are moving forward and that some projects have been in design for two years.

Cobb also discussed procurement incentives aimed at reducing construction impact and timelines — for one project he added a completion bonus structure (for example, a $100,000 bonus for completion within 60 days) to encourage faster work and reduce community disruption.

Cobb closed by reiterating staffing constraints, supply‑chain lead times and economic uncertainty as the primary challenges for delivering projects on schedule and at expected cost, and asked councilmembers to consider timing expectations for capital projects.

No formal council action or vote was taken during Cobb’s presentation; councilmembers asked for continued updates and indicated interest in exploring funding options and steps to finish courthouse and other municipal spaces discussed earlier in the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Work Session - FY 2026 - City Attorney & Engineering Dept. -05-09-25","oneSentenceSummary","Director Tom Cobb presented a summary of engineering accomplishments, a $28.5 million combined maintenance and capital workload for 2025, planned 2026 strategic goals including an OpenGov/Cartegraph asset‑management rollout, code changes on right‑of‑way and alley maintenance, and a new stormwater fund starting Jan. 1, 2026.","taxTitle","Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming","taxId",4607,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6241600,"Cheyenne city attorney seeks additional prosecutor and $50,000 for permanent prosecutor office amid 6,000-case municipal caseload",727,62360,790095,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3255347-8bc46f71de0419c213b56849e13c2c9a&start=62&end=790","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3255347-8bc46f71de0419c213b56849e13c2c9a/thumbnail_62360.jpg","/articles/6241600/Cheyenne/Laramie-County/Wyoming/Cheyenne-city-attorney-seeks-additional-prosecutor-and-50000-for-permanent-prosecutor-office-amid-6000-case-municipal-caseload","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6241600-cf3c494d7e51a4257a2dfc7993f90eb7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770424303&Signature=PArbxAfsyXvfy7eJoSQRali7RXOJFKCKQAuNoM39xz1xAGpMfq3Blp2~7mzy1yZeJA~Qdag1cpU74h7xW1JufLD~ygo4AXtXVNBL8HQzHFbVqGJcicI58uOaJqneWqvYvQVOV2Z1Ub9U~U6tw7ea~I88q4ipjAaZNLoq00edqLYoLSRJT69e-yftH1z8j5n63ZUD5RVqmWwswbJHPqqFSzMGltKpQYclZSrGxK7dMW9UD~sR4uYjt7pelAFoOku-Q4cNsTaO7LRJgYkzAu50~RR9D55uzUPjOXcBtMy1ppUk8yG3C1lM2VQiSvceT8RlKprP1htIwqF5wsiNcXhyrA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cheyenne City Attorney John Bridal told the City Council during a budget presentation that the city’s criminal division handles more than 6,000 cases a year and is seeking an additional full‑time prosecutor and a $50,000 one‑time appropriation to establish a permanent office for prosecutors.

Bridal said the criminal division currently has three staff — two city prosecutors and one paralegal — and that “6,000 cases is a lot” for that team. He described the workload as including reviewing evidence, drafting pleadings, preparing for bench and jury trials, and meeting statutory victim‑service obligations.

The request matters because many Cheyenne municipal offenses are jailable under Wyoming law, which often entitles defendants to jury trials and public defenders. Bridal said that about 15% of municipal matters proceed to bench or jury trial, and that the combination of large case volume and jury‑trial preparation increases resource needs for the prosecutor’s office.

Bridal compared Cheyenne’s staffing with a larger county prosecutor’s office, noting that a Natrona County district attorney’s office handling roughly 4,000 cases has about 10 staff attorneys and additional support personnel. “That creates a pretty good bottleneck,” Bridal said of Cheyenne’s smaller staff handling greater throughput. He added that the requested additional attorney would both help manage the caseload and provide redundancy if a staff member were unexpectedly absent.

On budget specifics, Bridal asked for:
- One additional full‑time prosecuting attorney (FTE) to be added to the criminal division staffing roster.
- A one‑time $50,000 allocation to refurbish and make permanent space for the prosecutor’s office in the transit office building on the south side of the Spyker Garage, which Bridal said is near the police department, the public safety center and the municipal court.
- An increase in professional development of roughly $10,000, which Bridal said would support attendance by attorneys and staff at municipal and specialized conferences (he cited a municipal lawyers association conference in New Orleans and annual municipal court training).

Bridal described current temporary office arrangements at the public safety center as a short‑term fix and said the $50,000 would allow the office to be consolidated and better configured for daily operations. He thanked Chief Francisco for providing temporary space but said the current layout dispersed prosecutors across facilities.

Council members asked about related issues. Dr. Aldridge questioned whether the $50,000 would be better spent finishing the second floor of the municipal courthouse, which several council members said has been discussed as long‑term space for the prosecutor’s office and related legal entities. Bridal said he did not know whether that second‑floor buildout would provide adequate, timely space and noted that the transit building option could provide a quicker, lower‑cost solution.

Council members also asked about capacity for pursuing civil liens generated by code compliance cleanup; Bridal said his office recently completed a multi‑year lien process and that the office has capacity to pursue large liens, but that doing so would require prioritization because the office lacks a large support staff to pursue every case. Bridal noted coordination with procurement and the sheriff’s office in one recent lien enforcement action.

Other points raised during the presentation and Q&A:
- Bridal said many municipal cases are resolved without trial (he estimated 10–20% of defendants simply pay a ticket) but that the active cases require substantive prosecutor work even when they do not reach trial.
- He confirmed that revenue from fines collected in municipal court is deposited into the city general fund.
- The city maintains a litigation support/outside counsel fund (line item described later in the mayor’s budget); Bridal said he did not increase that fund this year and that it has been adequate historically for retaining outside counsel when necessary.
- Councilman White suggested pursuing externs and interns from the University of Wyoming Law School; Bridal said the office has used the university’s prosecution clinic and sometimes places interns, and he intends to expand that where useful.

No formal action or vote was taken on Bridal’s requests at the meeting; councilmembers asked staff to gather additional information, including cost estimates to finish courthouse space and options for renovating the transit office. Several councilmembers expressed support for exploring both the short‑term transit office option and finishing the municipal courthouse second floor as a longer‑term solution.

Looking ahead, Bridal said the additional FTE and consolidation of office space would be intended to reduce operational risk, improve victim‑service capacity and create redundancy for the criminal division’s work if a staff member departs. The council did not adopt any motion at the conclusion of the presentation.","City Attorney John Bridal told the City Council the municipal prosecutor's office manages more than 6,000 cases a year with two prosecutors and one paralegal and is asking for one additional full‑time attorney and $50,000 one‑time funding to establish a permanent prosecutor office.","actionData","errors"]

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Cheyenne engineering director details $28.5 million in work, proposes code changes and new asset‑management rollout

Cheyenne city attorney seeks additional prosecutor and $50,000 for permanent prosecutor office amid 6,000-case municipal caseload