Casper Council outlines priorities for coming fiscal year

CASPER, Wyo. — Looking ahead to the 2026 fiscal year, the Casper City Council will seek to prioritize health and safety, quality of life, infrastructure needs and more. That was the word from councilors and city staff as they turn to priority-based budgeting for the coming fiscal year.

On Tuesday, councilors discussed specific ways to pursue those goals and others after a task force of select councilors put together an outline of seven priorities for the future. Other priorities included economic vitality, environmental sustainability and stewardship, community engagement, fiscal management and customer service.

Councilor Amber Pollock said the purpose of the list is to outline what areas the council wants to focus on, while not necessarily detailing the ways the council will pursue those goals.

“It was really an exercise in trying to be more precise in how we’re describing things,” she said. “There were some that were overly prescriptive. For example, if I say something like, ‘strengthen and enhance public safety resources by x, y and z,’ we took the ‘by doing’ out of it and really just focused on what we want to achieve.”

On the topic of health and safety, councilors agreed to strengthen and enhance public safety departments such as Casper Fire-EMS, the Casper Police Department and the Public Works Department. They also agreed to adopt a set of best practices in animal welfare and wildlife control strategies.

Another top priority for the city is maintaining its infrastructure and facilities, particularly as it pertains to the city’s utilities like water, sewer and storm drainage. Another goal is ensuring connectivity through traffic, transit and pedestrian planning and infrastructure.

To help promote a strong quality of life for residents, the council will work to enhance recreation opportunities and tourism and promote the various city amenities. Effective zoning and fully utilizing city amenities are also steps toward a positive quality of life, per the city’s plan.

To prioritize economic vitality, the city plans to streamline regulatory processes, support the revitalization of underutilized commercial areas and create walkable live–work–play areas in the community through design and planning. Another tenet of supporting economic vitality is fostering a vibrant arts and cultural community, according to the city’s plans.

Plans for supporting environmental sustainability include enhancing preparedness for weather emergencies and investing in infrastructure improvements that would protect water quality and manage stormwater runoff. The city also plans to collaborate with partner agencies to conserve natural habitats.

To promote good governance and customer service, the city listed several steps that can be taken. The council agreed to work toward long-term financial sustainability to include the full range of revenue possibilities available to the city. Other steps include workforce development, collaboration with partners such as neighboring governments and local agencies, investing in technology resources like cybersecurity and emphasizing proactive legislative involvement.

“This type of budgeting aligns council and the citizens’ priorities with available funding,” city financial services director Jill Johnson wrote in a memo. “Programs are identified, costed, and key metrics for each program are developed to ensure progress can be measured and reported to all stakeholders.”

The full priority list can be viewed below: