Downtown Development Authority seeks council support for 16-mill levy; new executive director introduced

At the July 15 council meeting, Greg Dixon, chair of the Casper Downtown Development Authority, introduced the DDA’s new executive director, Melissa Huguet, during public comment and asked councilors for support of a proposed four‑year assessment to fund the DDA’s work in downtown Casper.

Dixon asked council support for a 16‑mill annual assessment on assessed value of commercial (non‑residential) property within the downtown district; the proposed assessment appears in the meeting packet as a consent resolution and is contingent on voter approval under Wyoming statute. "This is an every 4 year thing," Dixon said. Huguet, who identified herself as a Casper native and the DDA’s new executive director, said she looked forward to continuing downtown improvement work and collaborating with city staff.

Why this matters: a 16‑mill assessment, if approved by voters as provided in Wyoming statute, would raise revenue for downtown programs and services. The assessment item was listed as a consent resolution (10.a.3) in the council packet; the council approved the consent package during the meeting.

Council action: consent resolution 10.a.3 (approving, contingent on voter approval per Wyoming statute section 15-9-217(b), an annual assessment of 16 mills against the assessed value of non-residential property within the downtown development district) was included in the consent items and carried with other consent business. The consent package passed with all councilors voting aye.

Next steps: because the resolution is contingent on voter approval under the cited state statute, implementation depends on the outcome of any voter measure; the DDA and city staff will proceed with notifications and administrative steps appropriate to a voter-contingent levy if the measure is placed on a ballot.