Cheyenne committee approves $74.4 million FY2026 budget after votes on policing, pay and planning

The Cheyenne Committee of the Whole voted May 20 to recommend adoption of an ordinance appropriating $74,417,876 for the city's fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, after debate and a series of amendments to the draft budget.

The vote followed a full review by the mayor's office and the city treasurer and weeks of department work sessions. Mayor Collins presented the book and described the spending plan as "a balanced budget of $74,417,876, up 3.8% or $2,770,000 from this time last year." The ordinance was advanced to the full council as amended; the budget ordinance takes effect July 1, 2025.

The budget and why it matters

The nut of the package is that the city presented a recurring budget that, according to the mayor, offsets a $1,775,000 revenue loss tied to recent residential property tax legislation through new revenue from commercial annexation and other sources. "The annexing of our North Range Business Park increased revenues and made up for the revenue we lost with the recent legislation reducing property taxes," Mayor Collins said. The mayor and treasurer told the committee they view the annexation and increases in franchise fees and building permits as central to balancing the plan while keeping recurring expenditures aligned with recurring revenues.

Major line items, revenue trends and staffing

The draft covers roughly $74.4 million for municipal operations and capital. Major revenue drivers listed in the presentation include sales taxes, franchise fees, property taxes, state direct distributions, building permits and several mineral- and vehicle-related receipts. The mayor highlighted a 48% increase (about $2.6 million) in gas and electric franchise fees and a 31% rise ($710,000) in building-permit revenue; he also flagged a projected sales-tax decline of approximately $900,000 (about 3.65%). Cable franchise fees and lottery receipts are each forecast lower by about $100,000.

The budget as presented contains 451.1 full-time-equivalent positions, a decrease of 0.3 FTE from the current year, and includes one net new authorization: an additional prosecutor in the city attorney's office. "The office currently has 2 prosecutors handling about 6,000 cases a year. This volume is…