Over the past several years, the funding that goes to the City of Casper from their portion of the one-cent tax has gone to help with many capital projects, including water and sewer updates and improvements, vehicle and equipment needs for the fire department and EMS, street repairs, vehicle updates for the police department, flood control and river restoration, as well as other projects.
City of Casper Planned Projects for One Cent #15
Council has approved a Resolution listing the priorities & amounts set aside for 1% #15. They are as follows:
1. Water and Sewer - $7,000,000
2. Fire/EMS - $8,550,000
- Fire Station #6 Replacement - $4,000,000
- Brush Truck Replacement - $300,000
- Vehicle Replacement- $150,000
- Miscellaneous Equipment- $100,000
- Fire Station #5 Replacement - $4,000,000
3. Street Repair - $22,000,000
- Vehicle/Equipment Replacement- $2,400,000 ($600,000/yr)
- Ft. Caspar Neighborhood Phase III- $6,000,000
- Poplar Street (1-25 to First Street- Local Match) - $800,000
- Collectors and Arterials- $10,000,000 ($2,500,000/yr)
- Residential Streets- $2,400,000 ($600,000/yr)
- Traffic System Improvements - $400,000
4. Police - $3,450,000
- Vehicle/Equipment Replacement- $2,000,000 ($500,000/yr)
- Technology Improvements - $1,000,000 ($250,000/yr)
- Upgrade to Communication System - $450,000
5. Senior Citizen Services - $2,400,000
- Improved Walkability (Sidewalks/Trails)- $1,200,000 ($300,000/yr)
- Lazy River Addition to Outdoor Pool - $400,000
- Public Transportation (CATC)- $800,000 ($200,000/yr)
6. Parks, Playgrounds, Trails & Outdoor Sports Facilities - $2,400,000
- Irrigation System Improvements- $500,000
- Playground Equipment/ Amenities - $500,000
- Equipment Replacement- $400,000 ($100,000/yr)
- Parking Lot Improvements- $1,000,000
7. Flood Control and River Restoration - $2,000,000
- Platte River Revival- $1,000,000
- Stormwater Project- $1,000,000
8. 1% Operation Support and Maintenance Savings Account - $3,000,000 ($750,000/yr)
9. Swimming and Recreation - $7,200,000
- Mike Sedar Pool - $4,000,000
- Casper Ice Arena Refrigeration System Replacement- $1,200,000
- Hogadon Maintenance Building- $800,000
- Swimming Fee Subsidy- $1,200,000
10. Public Building Repairs - 2,000,000
- Roof Replacements - $500,000 (City Hall; Recreation Center; Fire Station #1; Ft. Caspar Museum)
- Service Center Crane Replacement- $500,000
- CEC Chiller Replacement- $1,000,000
SUB-TOTAL - $60,000,000
- Community Projects* - $8,000,000
TOTAL - $68,000,000
*$8,000,000 To be allocated after reviewing proposals submitted by individuals and community groups. Groups that have traditionally received allocations from the Optional One Percent Sales Tax include Natrona County Public Library; Community Action Partnership; Platte River Parkway; Central Wyoming Senior Services, Inc; Youth Baseball; and miscellaneous groups and organizations.
Previous One Cent #14 Projects
The City of Casper's One Cent surveys asked citizens to prioritize 18 potential funding areas. (A detailed breakdown of those results are available here.) The four categories that received the most support were:
High Priority Projects:
- Fire Protection
- Water Line Replacement
- Police
- Streets
These four areas were designated the city's High Priority project areas.A second group, which received more moderate support, was deemed to be Medium Priority. The project areas that received minimal support were designated the low priority group.
In addition to these three, a fourth category called Community Projects was designated for those services that the city doesn't typically handle itself. These activities -- like public health, economic development, and The Bus -- were separated off into the Community Projects category.
Funding Overview
If the voters choose to re-authorize the One Cent this November, the City of Casper's allocation will probably be about $48,000,000. That money would be shared among the four Priority areas in this way:
City Project Breakdown:High and Medium Priority Categories
Projects in these areas are typically handled by the City of Casper directly. Fire protection, for example, is handled by the city's Fire-EMS Department.
The four project areas in the High Priority category will share $31,090,000 (65%), and the five project areas in the Medium Priority category will share $10,910,000 (23%).
The Low Priority areas, Perpetual Care and E-Government, were not given any funding.
A more specific breakdown with an allocation by individual projects is available here.
Community Projects Category
The Community Projects category represent seven service areas that aren't traditionally handled by the Casper city government. For example, the City of Casper doesn't run the library (it's run by the County), nor does it run The Bus (that's run by CATC, an independent non-profit agency). These Community Service areas include:
- Senior Services
- Community Health Services
- Economic Development
- Library Books and Materials
- Human Services
- Public Transportation
- Museums and Arts
$6,000,000 (12%) of the City's One Cent funding will be set aside for these Community Projects. The City Council will ask for proposals from area non-profits for how to meet the community needs in these areas. The exact breakdown of how the funding would be spread among these seven areas, and the exact list of projects to be funded within each area, will be decided by the Casper City Council sometime in the next few months.