Cheyenne Council approves annexations, zoning changes, grazing lease and license extension; clarifies uninsured driving as jailable offense

The Cheyenne City Council on Jan. 13 approved multiple ordinances and administrative items on third and final reading, and voted to approve a three‑year grazing lease and a one‑year extension of a parked liquor license.

What the council approved: The council passed a set of third‑reading ordinances that included annexing a 0.13‑acre lot north of Cheyenne Street and west of Ridge Road and assigning a zoning classification to newly annexed parcels. Those zoning ordinances established medium density residential (MR) and agricultural (AG) designations for the properties named in the agenda. Council members also approved a zone change from planned unit development (PUD) ordinance number 4274 to neighborhood residential, high density (NR‑3) for another parcel north of West College Drive.

Liability insurance ordinance: The council approved an amendment to Cheyenne Municipal Code section 10.12.020 clarifying that failure to maintain liability coverage on a vehicle may be a jailable offense. The change was presented as aligning city code with state law and was approved on third and final reading.

Belvoir Ranch grazing lease: The finance committee recommended approval of a three‑year grazing lease between the City of Cheyenne and Wyoming Cattle Company for Belvoir Ranch. Vicky Nemechek, public works, said the new agreement raises the animal unit month (AUM) rate from $35.71 to $40 and increases the yearling rate from $25 to $28. The lease guarantees a minimum annual payment to the city of $210,000, the staff memo said. The council approved the lease.

Scooter Scoreboard liquor license extension: The council approved a request to extend the parked status of a full retail liquor license for Scooter Scoreboard LLC, doing business as Scooter Scoreboard Bar at 619 E. Lincoln Way, for an additional year under state law (the second year requires council approval). The clerk confirmed the license’s first parked year ends Jan. 24, 2025; with council approval the license may remain parked through Jan. 24, 2026 before it would revert to the city if not reactivated.

Votes and procedure: Multiple items were removed from the consent agenda at the start of the meeting (items 16B and 18A) then discussed later. Most third‑reading ordinances were presented with a recommendation from the Public Services Committee and approved by voice vote. The AG zoning item northeast of West Allison Road and Woltershide Boulevard generated the only recorded substantive council opposition: Dr. Aldridge and Mr. Moody said they would vote no that evening and their names were recorded as voting no; the ordinance still passed.

Other administrative matters: The council reviewed vouchers and discussed the Civic Center settlement process with Jason Sanchez, and approved a third‑party financial review charge paid to Economic Planning Systems Inc. to evaluate tax increment financing (TIF) applications. City Treasurer Robin Laughlin said the financial reviews covered the West Downtown and Jolly Rogers TIF applications for July–September review months.

Ending: Council members closed the meeting after hearing public testimony and approving the listed ordinances and administrative items. Several council members thanked staff for audit work and public testimony; no new study or referral on parking policy was adopted at this meeting.