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Laramie council to create rubric, subcommittee for community partner funding applications
Summary
City staff reviewed the Community Partner Funding application and timeline and council asked for a simple rubric, possible caps and a subcommittee to refine scoring before the 2026 application cycle.
City Manager Janine Jordan told the Laramie City Council on Sept. 9 that the city and Albany County have long shared administration of the Community Partner Funding program and that Wyoming statutes allow the use of county excise tax revenue for grants to local social-service and recreation providers. "Since the inception of the general excise purpose tax in Albany County," Jordan said, "this city has made a portion of that funding available to local agencies."
The council spent more than 35 minutes on the application, calendar and process administered by Executive Assistant Nancy Oakland Potter, who said staff awarded about $231,272 in the most recent cycle and that the program distributed more than $1.2 million to community partners over the last five years. "We award that to the civic organizations, recreational and social agencies," Oakland Potter said, and she described recent application changes including a later deadline and additional budget and alignment questions.
Why it matters: council members said they want the program to feel fair, objective and defensible. Several councilors asked for a simple scoring rubric so new and returning members would evaluate applications the same way, and to reduce the perception that decisions are personal or arbitrary. Councilors also asked staff to consider a cap on requests and to include financial documentation in applications.
During discussion Councilor Newman and others stressed accessibility improvements to the application and packet materials (color-contrast issues), and Councilor Fried and Councilor Vigil urged an objective matrix similar to one the Parks, Trees & Recreation board uses for allocating funds. Councilor Shumway recommended a formal per-applicant cap to prevent a single request from consuming disproportionate funding. Oakland Potter said staff would work with the county grants person to coordinate deadlines and the joint review meeting.
Next steps and direction: the council asked staff to circulate the draft application and for council members to draft a simple rubric before the end of the calendar year so it can be included with the January application rollout. Council directed staff to bring a resolution to formally appoint a council subcommittee to finalize the rubric and work with staff and county partners. Oakland Potter confirmed the current application deadline is scheduled for March 11, 2026, and that final reports for awards are due after the close of the fiscal year (agreements require a final report).
What staff said they will provide: the application in draft form for council review, a suggested timeline that aligns with county review, and the existing worksheet each council member uses to submit recommended award amounts. Council asked staff to explore requiring financial verification (unredacted IRS Form 990 or equivalent) as part of the application or award process.
Council members did not take a formal vote; they gave staff direction and asked for a resolution to create a subcommittee and for staff to return with a rubric and data in time for the next funding cycle.
