Downtown Development Authority outlines FY2026 budget, council raises questions about reserves and outreach spending

Sophia Mays, downtown development authority administrator, presented the DDA's fiscal year 2026 operating budget and said the authority expects total operating spending of $728,450 while maintaining roughly $785,000 in reserves.

The presentation detailed staffing, program priorities and anticipated revenues. Mays told the council, "I am here to present the fiscal year 26 budget for the DDA." She said the DDA will staff two full-time positions and one part-time social media assistant and highlighted priorities including downtown parking, streetscape and wayfinding, a planter program and a redesigned grant structure.

The DDA budget document anticipates a $23,000 increase in mill-levy revenue, to about $487,000 in annual collections, and a small expected reduction in interest income. The authority proposed $100,000 for board strategic projects, $45,000 for sponsorships (up from about $35,000 this past summer), and had a $10,000 communications line item that could increase depending on solicitations received. Mays said the DDA is also budgeting to draw about $131,450 from reserves and expects a $30,000 grant from the joint powers economic board and $5,000 from Laramie County for specific projects.

Council members pressed staff about several items. One council member asked about a change made by the DDA board just before the council meeting: "they bumped up the RFP language to 60,000. They did not make a motion to amend the budget at this point in time," Mays said, noting the board amended RFP language but did not formally amend the budget. The council chair said that process raised concerns: "if you are suggesting that you have that kind of funding for that purpose, but it's not in the budget, I think that's an issue," the chair said.

Members also questioned the sidewalk improvement pilot. Mays said the pilot remains reimbursement-based, has seen limited use and has run into problems because some property owners cannot finance upfront costs and wait for reimbursement. She told the council the program has not had increased funding and staff will evaluate program design and potential alternatives, including the timing of work and whether to rely less on city engineering for delivery.

There was also confusion about the city's in-kind personnel contribution. An early slide listed the city in-kind contribution at $251,000; Bloomfield later clarified that the final budgeted in-kind total for salaries and benefits is $195,915, a decrease from the prior year that reflects a different health plan and staff positions.

Mays emphasized community engagement goals, saying the DDA plans to redesign grant programs to align more with downtown development objectives, expand regular communications including a quarterly newsletter and beef up social media, and explore a community benefits plan and an expanded DDA foundation to support business assistance and events.

No formal council action or vote on the DDA budget occurred at the meeting. The DDA board had met immediately before the council meeting and took board-level actions; those board actions (for example the RFP language change) were discussed in the council session but no ordinance or budget amendment for the city council was proposed or adopted during the council meeting.

Mays closed by standing for questions. Council members thanked her for the work and reiterated expectations for improved communication with downtown business owners and clearer documentation of any changes that affect the adopted budget.