Laramie leaders outline projects tied to $95 million special-purpose tax ahead of May vote

Laramie officials at a city council work session outlined a proposed $95 million special-purpose excise tax (SPT) that they say would generate about $9.1 million per year to fund a list of capital projects, including a new police facility, a relocated fire station, airport pavement and runway maintenance, street repairs and ADA sidewalk improvements. The city manager, Todd (City Manager), said the ballot is structured so the city would receive roughly 48% of proceeds, Albany County about 46%, the Laramie Regional Airport about 4% and Rock River roughly 2%.

Todd said the estimate of $9.1 million annually reflects current sales-tax receipts in Albany County and that stronger sales tied to energy development have accelerated collections compared with the city’s 2018 projection. "It's $16 a month toward the $95,000,000 investment," Todd said, presenting the per-resident breakdown, which he derived from county population estimates.

Why it matters: supporters said the SPT acts as seed and match money to unlock larger state and federal grants and to allow bonding so projects can proceed sooner rather than waiting years to accumulate cash. Todd noted prior SPT rounds helped match about $4 million in WARG grants, $500,000 in TAP grants and another $400,000 in land-and-water conservation funds.

Police and fire projects: Police Chief Brown described the department’s current workspace as functionally inadequate, with dispatch and records operating in a jail basement that creates operational and safety problems. Chief Brown said the department includes about 47 officers and roughly 25 civilian staff and warned that the $12 million currently shown on the ballot for police is short of what a feasibility study recommended. "I will tell you that $12,000,000 is not enough based on the feasibility study to build a new police department," Chief Brown said, adding that SPT funds would be used as local matches for possible grant awards (the department is applying for a $3,000,000 grant, he said).

The fire chief, Dan Johnson, outlined the need to relocate apparatus and living quarters from a 1938-era station and identified a preferred site on 9th Street (the former Whiting School property) to improve response times for South Laramie and to allow larger apparatus to be housed and serviced.

Airport: Amy Turrell, director of the Laramie Regional Airport, said the airport has extensive pavement, taxiways and two intersecting runways that require ongoing maintenance and occasional major rehabilitation. Turrell described a roughly $15,300,000 pavement project planned for next summer and said the SPT allocation to the airport—about $4,000,000—would be used to provide match money so the city and county can pursue FAA and state discretionary funds. She warned that without ongoing maintenance the airport could ultimately face the need for a full runway rebuild (cited at $23,000,000 in 2035). "We're doing a $15,300,000 project next summer," Turrell said, adding that SPT money cannot be used for operations and would be dedicated to infrastructure.

Other projects and priorities: The package also lists $4,000,000 for surface-water drainage capital projects (staff said they will prioritize projects from a recent stormwater study), about $1,055,000 for ADA sidewalk and crossing improvements, $7,000,000 for street maintenance and approximately $2,000,000 for paving under the city’s unpaved-to-paved initiative in West Laramie (Harrison Street). Parks and Recreation Director Bork said a $2,000,000 allocation for the community recreation center would focus on at least one repair (pool-deck spalling) and one improvement (repurposing the old bleacher area for programming and fitness space).

Financing and timing: Councilors asked about bonding and timing; staff said the ballot will include voter authorization for general obligation bonding tied to the SPT and that the city expects to use bonding strategically to protect projects from inflation and to meet grant timeframes. Staff emphasized that the specific-purpose tax cannot be used for salaries or general operations and that project lists and phasing would come back to council for formal selection once revenues begin to be collected.

Election and outreach: The city manager said the ballot election is scheduled for May 5, 2026; there is no in-person early voting but absentee ballots will be available and can be returned at polling sites. The five polling locations for the special election will be the Municipal Operations Center, the Ice Center, the Library, the Fairgrounds and Rock River. Officials urged residents to review the city’s project list and posted explanatory videos and encouraged councilors to use those materials in outreach.

Public comment: A public commenter, Eric, said he is trying to register and mobilize younger voters and asked which projects would most appeal to that demographic; officials suggested highlighting recreation, trail improvements and visible neighborhood projects to attract young voters.

Next steps: Staff will publish materials for public outreach, refine project phasing and return to council with prioritized projects to be funded as collections and bonding capacity allow. The council closed the work session after the presentations and public comment.

Sources: Council work session presentations and remarks by Todd (City Manager); Chief Brown (Police); Dan Johnson (Fire Chief); Amy Turrell (Director, Laramie Regional Airport); Director Bork (Parks & Recreation).