Nonprofits, clinics and community programs present funding requests and service data to Laramie City Council and county commissioners

Laramie — At a joint meeting on March 25, 2025, the Laramie City Council and Albany County commissioners heard presentations from more than two dozen community organizations seeking support or reporting service demand, including libraries, early‑childhood and senior services, health clinics, housing and homelessness programs, and public‑facing arts and outdoor groups.

The Albany County Public Library’s representative, Rachel Crocker, told the council the Laramie branch logged about 88,000 visits in 2024 and checked out more than 100,000 items. Crocker said the library requested two categories of support: ongoing internet and outreach operating costs and a one‑time request of roughly $26,000 to replace aging seating and finish furniture work for a new teen space. “Libraries are often that last‑mile spot,” Crocker said, describing branches as places where people without home broadband can access the Internet and get technology help.

Several social service presenters described growing caseloads and operating pressures. Jamie Stein, executive director of Developmental Preschool & Daycare Center, described federally regulated early intervention services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and said the program is underfunded relative to statute. Stein gave this year’s required local match at about $77,000 and said the program is seeking roughly $14,000 from each local government as part of a matching plan to increase staff pay and meet new state funding timelines tied to Senate File 19.

Tim Snowberger of Laramie Connection Center reported the group provided about 3,600 rides in 2024, including more than 300 out‑of‑town trips, and asked the council for continued city support ($25,000) and county support ($35,000) to maintain transportation, vehicle repair and staffing. “We were just shy of 3,600 rides provided here in Laramie, Albany County,” Snowberger said.

Bob Sell, CEO of Arc Regional Services, described the provider’s work serving adults with developmental disabilities and warned of a funding shortfall tied to Medicaid Home and Community‑Based Waiver reimbursements. Sell said the state recently completed a cost study showing a statewide underfunding gap and that one‑time ARPA boosts to rates are expiring; ARC faces a projected $400,000 decrease in reimbursement compared with the prior year.

Other requests and data points presented to the council and commissioners included: - Big Brothers Big Sisters asked for $28,550 from the city and $10,000 from the county to support mentoring and juvenile justice programming, reporting it served just over 550 children in the county in 2024. - Laramie Connection Center and other transportation programs emphasized demand for out‑of‑town medical rides and a need for additional vehicles and paid drivers. - The Epson Center for Seniors said it served nearly 1,750 individual clients in 2024, delivered just over 40,000 home‑delivered meals and served about 59,000 meals overall last year, and reported 8,800 rides provided; the center asked the bodies for continued partner funding to support staff, meal operations and rides. - Safe Project (domestic violence services) reported sheltering 35 adults, 20 children and nine pets in the past year and requested continued support for shelter operations, client assistance and advocate time. - The Laramie Downtown Clinic (free clinic) requested $7,500 from the city and $7,500 from the county to help purchase wholesale prescription medications and support pharmacy technician interns; the clinic reported more than 4.5 million pills dispensed to the community free of charge since its founding and a record of 657 vaccinations last year. - Family Promise, Unaccompanied Student Initiative and other housing‑focused nonprofits described client counts, case management and rental or shelter programs (Family Promise: 49 families served by PATH rental/utility assistance in 2024; Unaccompanied Student Initiative: opened a Laramie house in 2023 and, in 2024, housed nine students and provided 2,713 trips for youth transportation). - Arts and community groups seeking partnership funding or in‑kind city support included Relative Theatrics (theatre education and productions), Laramie Plains Civic Center (tenant support and building maintenance), Laramie Public Art Coalition (three public art projects with matching grant requirements), Science Loves Art (kits and community events), and Winter Lights Festival (community lighting display and outreach). Several of these organizations asked the city or county to match grant funding or to help cover project‑specific costs.

Many presenters emphasized the same themes: rising operating costs (fuel, insurance, food), workforce shortages and turnover, and the leverage local partner funding provides to attract or match state and federal grants. Several nonprofit leaders said modest local grants create a multiple‑fold return by enabling programs or matching larger grants.

No formal votes were taken on funding requests during the session. Council members and commissioners asked clarifying questions about counts, matching requirements and program scope during and after presentations. City and county staff noted they would use the presentations as part of the budget and community partner funding review process.

Why it matters: The presentations gave elected leaders a consolidated view of year‑over‑year demand across social services, health care, early childhood and arts organizations in Laramie and Albany County, and highlighted specific asks that city and county budgets would need to accommodate or prioritize in the coming budget cycle.

What’s next: The council and commissioners did not decide funding allocations at the meeting; staff will incorporate requests and program data into the city and county partner‑funding review and budget work sessions scheduled later this spring. Several presenters urged timelier local support to avoid service interruptions or to meet match deadlines on state grants.

For this reporting: figures and requests are pulled directly from testimony at the March 25 meeting. When presenters gave specific dollar requests or program counts during their remarks, those figures are reported here and attributed to the presenter. Where presenters described funding processes (for example, state reimbursement changes or grant timelines) the article reports their statements without editorializing or adding unquoted claims.