Laramie council identifies seven top goals at Jan. 18 retreat; staff asked to prioritize

The Laramie City Council met in retreat Jan. 18, 2025, and agreed on seven top‑line priorities that will guide the council’s work and budget planning in the coming years: housing; communication and transparency; infrastructure (including streets and stormwater); transportation and multimodal access; public safety and well‑being; environment and sustainability; and economic development. Council members directed city staff to return with a prioritized (tier 1/tier 2) list of implementable actions, cost estimates and timelines.

Why it matters: the council and staff said several of the council’s ambitions depend on capital funding and intergovernmental coordination, including a likely renewal of the city’s specific purpose tax (SPT) in 2026. Staff warned the council that the SPT renewal will require roughly 12 months of preparation and negotiation with other local governments if the council wants projects on a shared ballot.

Council members described broad outcomes they want under each priority. On housing, councilors discussed continuing code review efforts and exploring incentives to lower infrastructure and development costs, including sliding‑scale fee structures for developers. On…