Laramie staff outline supplemental budget plan: $14M for streets, $5M housing pilot, 3% COLA recommended

Laramie — City finance staff on Wednesday presented the City Council with the administration’s recommended supplemental budget for the second year of the biennium, centering on a mix of one‑time investments and modest ongoing adjustments intended to keep operations sustainable amid volatile state and mineral revenues.

The recommendation would commit $14 million from unallocated reserves to accelerate pavement repairs, pairing that with $6 million already approved in the biennium so the city could invest roughly $20 million in paved street work over the next two to three construction seasons. The city manager also proposed a $5 million housing‑enabling pilot that would use $3 million in investment earnings from water and wastewater utility funds plus $2 million of one‑time general fund sales and use tax collections to support ready‑to‑build infrastructure for attainable housing.

Why it matters: Laramie’s general fund relies heavily on intergovernmental and resource‑linked receipts. Staff emphasized conservative revenue forecasting and warned of near‑term risks including continued state property‑tax reductions and potential changes to Wyoming’s direct distribution of mineral revenues.

Key takeaways

Revenue and risk

Administrative Services Director Jennifer Wade presented a detailed revenue overview and said the general fund remains structurally balanced since adjustments in 2017, but…