Council to vote on candidate pool

“There’s nine council members for a reason,” Mayor Andi Summerville said.

“We want to do that in the quickest manner to have a full council going forward. It is a little different than the last time we did an appointment process, but that is the process that council decided on.”

Summerville, who was the last councilor appointed to fill a vacancy, said previously the council selected a new councilor and waited two weeks before seating her.

Overall, she said she thought the application and interview process were productive.

“I thought the interviews went really well,” Summerville said. “I think we have a good pool of applicants with a good pool of expertise. So, I think council will have a tough decision (today).”

The council is also slated to review the first reading of an ordinance that could change how the city charges users for wastewater services. The ordinance was created in response to a recent study that found Laramie’s wastewater rates were not based on current data.

“(The data) wasn’t region-specific,” Summerville said. “So, what we’ve been able to do is get better data to see how our local businesses use wastewater, and we’re looking at ways to adjust our rates to meet that usage. I think the premise behind the plan is really to right-size the wastewater to make sure our users are paying the right rates.”

The ordinance could reduce the number of wastewater customer classes from 11 to two, and the move would be revenue neutral, she said.

“Revenue neutral means the city is not going to be collecting any more money to operate the wastewater system,” Summerville said. “What will change is how the city charges users for wastewater.”

In addition to the council’s regular agenda, Laramie BikeNet is scheduled to present the results of a fundraising campaign intended to generate interest in the possibility of building a bike park in Laramie.

“Over the course of the last year-and-a-half, we’ve raised over $10,500 for a new bike park,” BikeNet Fundraising Committee Chair Dan McCoy said. “What BikeNet is hoping those funds will is start the initial planning process. The idea is we’re turning this money over to (the Laramie Parks and Recreations Department) to begin that process.”

Bike parks can host several types of features appealing to all styles of biking and all ages such as dirt bump tracks, balance elements and trails, he said. Some Wyoming communities such as Lander already have bike parks, McCoy added.

“My thought is it will really have elements that appeal to a broad range of riders,” he said. “Really, we want it to be something the whole community is excited about.”

McCoy said the planning process could take years, but he would be happy if construction on a bike park began in about two years. Currently, a location for the bike park has not been determined.

The Laramie City Council regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 406 Ivinson Ave.