Council hears update on projects funded by 6¢ tax; staff to open dedicated Fund 160

Casper City Council members received an update on projects funded by the voter-approved 6¢ tax and were told staff will open a dedicated accounting vehicle, Fund 160, to segregate receipts and track spending.

City Manager Carter turned the update over to Tom, the city project lead, who described progress on four projects the tax revenue will fund: the Metro Animal Shelter, a new fire station, the Washington Park band shelter and a consolidated 911/dispatch facility tied to a new police station. Jill, a city finance staff member, explained how the proposed Fund 160 would record revenues and expenses and could be reported monthly to council and published on the city website.

The update matters because staff said segregating the tax receipts in Fund 160 will keep the dollars separate from the general fund, allow per-project budgeting and improve public transparency. Jill told council the fund will be labeled the "6¢ fund" (Fund 160) and that staff will set up internal project accounts so each project’s revenue and expenses can be tracked separately. She said the city already publishes a monthly report online and that staff would provide the same monthly reporting in council information packets if council prefers.

Tom said the Metro Animal Shelter procurement is active: seven architect proposals were received, staff will shortlist three to four firms for interviews (planned late next week or the following week) and anticipate bringing a contract to council at the city’s second meeting in February. After selecting an architect, staff plan to move into schematic design and then issue an RFP for a construction manager-at-risk (CMAR) within about a month to six weeks, with an aggressive goal to complete construction in mid-to-late 2026.

For the new fire station, Tom said staff are issuing an RFP for an architect even though a final site has not been selected. He said the city plans a conventional design–bid–build approach because the scope is well defined and the city has built similar stations previously; staff hope to select land within four to six months. The Washington Park band shelter project is on hold because the city is leveraging those dollars to secure additional grant funding for a second phase of park improvements.

Tom said specifications for the 911/dispatch equipment are ready but staff are pausing major equipment procurement so deliveries can be timed with completion of the new facility; the goal is to avoid multiple moves of radios, servers and consoles.

Councilor Kyle asked how council and the public would see ongoing accounting for the 6¢ receipts and spending. Jill said Fund 160 will segregate receipts so they cannot be transferred to the general fund and that each of the four projects will have its own internal budget and expense tracking. She reiterated that monthly reports for Fund 160 will be published on the city website and can be placed in council information packets to match the existing report cadence for the city’s other dedicated funds.

Council members also discussed how to handle any unspent funds on a project. Councilor Pat asked whether leftover dollars could be dedicated to long-term maintenance. The city manager said his advocacy would be to assign surplus to project-specific maintenance or "perpetual care" commitments where feasible, subject to the size of the remaining balance and the voter-approved project scope.

No formal roll-call vote was recorded on opening Fund 160. Several council members verbally indicated support for proceeding; staff noted the formal minute action to establish the fund appears on the published agenda for council action.

The city framed the fund-opening as an administrative accounting step that will be followed by typical contract approvals and budget amendments as projects move into design and construction.