Wyoming Business Council urges tougher Business Ready Communities rules; committee trims proposed match to 10% amid rural concerns

Director Durrell, director of the Wyoming Business Council, told the Interim Minerals Committee that the council’s goal is to reverse long‑term economic decline in Wyoming and to use the Business Ready Communities (BRC) program to build local capacity for economic growth.

Durrell said the state faces declining GDP and median‑wage growth compared with regional peers and flagged a widening gap between population growth and labor‑force participation. “We stop thinking of it as brain drain and start thinking of it as our kids,” Durrell said, arguing that workforce participation, child care and housing are binding constraints on growth.

The council presented changes to BRC rules and a draft bill (26LSO71 draft 0.4) that would, among other things, remove authorization for educational uses, establish a minimum local match for BRC grants, and change program definitions. Durrell said the council’s proposed rule change set a 25% minimum cash match to ensure communities have “skin in the game.” He noted strong public comment (about 50 responses, including a 14‑page submission from one community) and that many smaller towns told the council they could not afford a 25% cash match.

Durrell walked the committee through the council’s recent evolution: earlier years focused on return on investment (ROI) screening and reducing the number of projects awarded; more recently the council is trying to make BRC an instrument to build local capacity and revenue recapture so communities can support future economic development without perpetual state subsidies. As an example Durrell described a BRC project in Mills with Austin Engineering: a $20 million project composed of a $15 million grant and $5 million loan that the council says would leverage another $10 million, create 161 jobs and $12 million in wages and would bring estimated revenue recapture of roughly $5.3 million to the local community and $7.8 million to the state over time. Durrell cautioned that the timeline and scale of those returns are not large enough, by themselves, to create enduring local fiscal capacity.

Public commenters and stakeholders acknowledged the council’s intent but urged flexibility for small towns. Randy McKay of the Wyoming Business Alliance praised the council for re‑examining its work and urged continued focus on attracting businesses. Matt Murdock, mayor of Pinedale and president of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, supported the “intent of the BRC revisions” but told the committee that 85 of Wyoming’s 99 municipalities have populations under 5,000 and many lack planning staff or technical resources to document barriers to growth as the proposed rules would require.

LSO analyst Brian Fuller reviewed the draft bill (26LSO71, draft 0.4) for the committee and said the draft: (1) strikes educational development as an eligible BRC activity, (2) would require a minimum 25% match for grants on and after July 1, 2026, and (3) removes a University of Wyoming Business Technology Center reference for certain IT projects. Fuller said the bill language makes the applicability date 07/01/2026.

Committee members probed how the council vets projects, citing a pending proposal for nuclear‑related fabrication and questions about workforce certification and timeline. Durrell and staff explained their “stage‑gate” approach: initial public infrastructure investments (water, sewer, rail spurs) are intended to unlock land for multiple future businesses; subsequent investments would be tied to business progress and reimbursement mechanisms designed to protect state funds.

Votes and committee action

- Motion to move the BRC bill forward: moved by Cochair Anderson; seconded by Representative Poe. (Motion introduced the draft 26LSO71.)

- Amendment to the draft (proposed by Cochair Anderson): strike the 25% match in favor of a 10% minimum and allow the match to be cash or in‑kind; seconded by Representative Riggins. The amendment passed in committee (voice vote and later a recorded tally reported 8 yes, 5 no).

- Final committee sponsorship/sponsor vote on the draft (with the adopted amendment) was held by roll call; the committee did not carry the draft as a committee bill (the motion to sponsor failed on the recorded roll call in the meeting). The committee therefore did not forward a finalized committee sponsorship of 26LSO71 to session.

Why this matters

The BRC program historically funded community infrastructure (water, sewer, industrial sites) intended to attract private investment. The council told the committee it is moving from a model that primarily measured ROI to one that prioritizes building local capacity and requiring a local match so communities have a stake in project success. Small towns and municipal leaders warned that a uniform 25% cash match would lock many small rural towns out of the program unless the state provides scaled matches, shared data tools, or technical assistance.

What the committee directed or decided

- The committee adopted an amendment reducing the proposed minimum match to 10% and expanding eligible match to cash or in‑kind; the amendment passed in committee (8–5 recorded tally).

- The committee did not, however, vote to sponsor and carry the amended BRC draft as a committee bill to the next legislative session (the roll‑call motion to sponsor failed).

Next steps and outstanding questions

- The Wyoming Business Council will continue to consider public comment on its rule changes and expects to present board recommendations at its September meeting.

- Municipal leaders requested clearer guidance, shared data tools or flexible documentation options, scaled match levels for very small communities, and a review of lien filing responsibilities tied to revenue‑generating projects.

- The council and LSO indicated the draft’s applicability date would be July 1, 2026, if the legislature enacts the change.

Speakers (attribution whitelist)

[{"name":"Director Durrell","role_title":"Director, Wyoming Business Council","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming Business Council"},{"name":"Brian Fuller","role_title":"Staff Attorney/Analyst, Legislative Service Office (LSO)","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Legislative Service Office"},{"name":"Randy McKay","role_title":"Representative, Wyoming Business Alliance","affiliation_type":"business","affiliation_name":"Wyoming Business Alliance"},{"name":"Matt Murdock","role_title":"Mayor of Pinedale; President, Wyoming Association of Municipalities","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Town of Pinedale / Wyoming Association of Municipalities"},{"name":"Cochair Anderson","role_title":"Cochair, Interim Minerals Committee","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Interim Minerals Committee"},{"name":"Representative Campbell","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming House of Representatives"},{"name":"Representative Lawley","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming House of Representatives"},{"name":"Representative Riggins","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming House of Representatives"},{"name":"Representative Knapp","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming House of Representatives"},{"name":"Representative Larson","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming House of Representatives"},{"name":"Representative Lolli","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Wyoming House of Representatives"}]

Authorities

[{"type":"statute","name":"Business Ready Community Program (BRC) — draft 26LSO71 (Business Ready Community Program Amendments)","citation":"26LSO71 draft 0.4 (online materials)","referenced_by":["article"]},{"type":"other","name":"Revenue recapture (statutory concept referenced by Wyoming Business Council)","citation":"referenced in presentation; statute name not specified in transcript","referenced_by":["article"]}]

Actions (formal motions recorded in transcript)

[{"kind":"other","motion":"Move the bill (26LSO71 draft 0.4, Wyoming Business Ready Community Program Amendments)","mover":"Cochair Anderson","second":"Representative Poe","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":null,"no":null,"abstain":0},"outcome":"moved"},{"kind":"other","motion":"Amend page 3, line 15: change 25% match to 10% and allow cash or in‑kind match","mover":"Cochair Anderson","second":"Representative Riggins","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":8,"no":5,"abstain":0},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Committee recorded amendment vote 8–5"},{"kind":"other","motion":"Vote to sponsor/forward amended 26LSO71 as a committee bill","mover":"Representative Tarver (motion to move to sponsor)","second":"Representative Campbell","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":null,"no":null,"abstain":0},"outcome":"failed","notes":"Roll‑call sponsorship vote failed; committee did not carry the bill to session"}]

Discussion vs. decision (explicit separation)

{"discussion_points":["Council presented data on long‑term GDP and wage decline and youth out‑migration","Council proposed 25% minimum local match and removal of educational uses from eligible BRC projects","Stakeholders warned small towns lack capacity to document barriers and to provide large cash matches","Council stressed stage‑gate approach: public infrastructure investments first, then business‑specific investments"],"directions":["Council to continue public comment review and present rule/regulatory recommendations at board meeting in September","LSO provided bill draft language and applicability date (07/01/2026)"] ,"decisions":["Committee adopted an amendment lowering the proposed match to 10% and permitting cash or in‑kind match (committee vote recorded 8–5)","Committee did not sponsor the draft as a committee bill (roll‑call sponsorship vote failed)"]}

Clarifying details

[{"category":"project","detail":"Austin Engineering project (Mills) financing and outcomes","value":"$20,000,000 total: $15,000,000 grant + $5,000,000 loan; leverages $10,000,000, creates 161 jobs, $12,000,000 in wages, estimated $5,300,000 back to the community and $7,800,000 to the state","units":"USD / jobs","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Director Durrell"},{"category":"match_requirement","detail":"Proposed minimum match in original draft","value":"25","units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"LSO (Fuller) / Director Durrell"},{"category":"adopted_amendment","detail":"Committee amendment lowered match and allowed in‑kind","value":"10","units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Cochair Anderson"},{"category":"applicability_date","detail":"If enacted in current draft, the match and eligibility changes would apply to grants and loans made on or after this date","value":"2026-07-01","units":"date","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Brian Fuller (LSO)"}]

Proper names

[{"name":"Wyoming Business Council","type":"agency"},{"name":"Business Ready Communities (BRC)","type":"program"},{"name":"Austin Engineering","type":"business"},{"name":"Wyoming Association of Municipalities","type":"organization"},{"name":"Wyoming Business Alliance","type":"business"},{"name":"Town of Pinedale","type":"location"},{"name":"Legislative Service Office","type":"agency"}]

Community relevance

{"geographies":["Natrona County","Mills","Sublette County (Pinedale)","statewide"],"funding_sources":["state BRC funds","revenue recapture (statutory)"],"impact_groups":["small rural municipalities","local economic development agencies","workforce-age families"]}

Meeting context

{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":18,"duration_minutes":350,"items_count":6},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2020-01-01","note":"BRC program used historically for infrastructure investments (water, sewer, industrial sites)"},{"date":"2020-2024","note":"Wyoming Business Council tightened ROI screening; roughly half of projects were denied in early tenure described by the director"}]}