Casper council signals support for $1 admission increase at Fort Casper

City staff presented a proposal to raise admission rates at Fort Casper by $1 across all categories and to simplify private rental fees; council members indicated support during the pre-meeting discussion.

Zalinda Nick, a parks staff member presenting the recommendation, said, "what we are proposing... is to do two things at Fort Casper. The first one would be to have a $1 increase across the board with all of our admission rates... The second piece is adjusting how we are doing our private rental rates." Under the proposal, adult admission would rise from $4 to $5, seniors from $3 to $4, teens from $3 to $4, youth from $1 to $2, and children 5 and under would remain free.

Nick explained the private rental changes: the previous structure charged $20 an hour when the museum was open and $40 an hour when closed, plus $1.50 per person for attendees. The proposal replaces the per-person fee with small/large group flat rates: when the museum is open, $40 per hour for small groups and $60 per hour for large groups; when closed, $60 per hour for small groups and $80 per hour for large groups. Staff compared the proposed fees to other municipally owned museums in the state and concluded Fort Casper would remain among the lowest cost to enter.

Councilor Jenna said she "100% support[s] it" and described the increase as reasonable. Council members asked staff about the last fee increase; staff noted the prior $1 across-the-board increase occurred in February 2018 as part of a cost-recovery review.

The council did not record a formal roll-call vote in the provided transcript, but the chair asked, "Is Council okay with the admission increases?" and the discussion moved forward without objection. Staff will implement the revised rates pending administrative steps to adopt the fee changes.

Staff contact and next steps: Parks staff will implement the new admission and rental rates and update administrative fee schedules.