The city of Casper will help fund a community branding initiative spearheaded by several city and Natrona County-based agencies.

At its Tuesday meeting, Casper City Council agreed to chip in $40,000 toward the logo and branding design segments of the project.

Ward I councilman Keith Goodenough voted against the project, saying that more discussion was needed and that the community branding idea itself is incomplete. He also says that, down the road, council will likely be asked to give unreasonable amounts of money.

“Without a further discussion or further thought about how much it will potentially cost the taxpayers over the next five years, I did not feel comfortable supporting the $40,000 in taxpayer money,” Goodenough said.

Casper mayor Kenyne Schlager voted in favor of the project. She says the city needs to better present itself both regionally and nationally.

“You have to take a first step to get all the way up the stairs,” Schlager said. “I don’t know want to expect down the road, but I do think we need a plan. Once we have that plan, we’ll be able to evaluate whether or not we want to invest in the project.”

Funding for the project was approved by a 7-2 margin.

Both Goodenough and councilman Daniel Sandoval voted against funding the project. Mayor Schlager, along with councilmen Paul Meyer, Paul Bertoglio, Craig Hedquist, Steve Cathey, Bob Hopkins and Charlie Powell voted in favor of the payout.

The branding proposal, first presented at a May 21 council work session, is a collaborative effort between the city, the county, the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce, the Casper Downtown Development Authority and the Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In return, CVB will also contribute $40,000 toward research and brand development segments of the project.

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