Laramie Bracing for Funding Decrease of $4.8 Million

The City of Laramie is anticipating a significant decrease in funding for governmental activities based on Gov. Matt Mead’s budget proposal, according to City Manager Janine Jordan.

“We’re projecting a $4.8 million decline in revenue,” says Jordan.  “For the City of Laramie, for municipal government, that is very significant.”

The city’s projection represents a 13.7 percent decrease in funding for the municipal government.

Jordan says her goal is to take a smart, well-planned approach to the issue.

“Probably six, seven weeks ago now, I did implement a hiring freeze for the City of Laramie,” says Jordan.  “We won’t be posting any new positions until probably at least March; until we know for certain what funding we will receive from the state of Wyoming.”

At that point, Jordan says, the City will have to look at whether to cut municipal services.

“Some of our programs and services are absolutely essential and mandated by law, and others are less so,” says Jordan.  “So there’s room to move in there.”

Jordan says that although the hiring freeze is designed to decrease costs, it certainly presents difficulties.

“We’re already down positions in a number of sections of the City,” says Jordan.  “We’re working to fill those gaps as creatively as we can through job sharing between departments and that sort of thing.”

“We’ll limp by until March when we know exactly what the new biennium holds, and then we’ll react accordingly,” says Jordan.