Allen: Sanitation Should Become Enterprise Fund

Cheyenne City Councilman Sean Allen says he thinks a council vote this week to limit the amount of money generated by the sanitation department that goes to other city operations lays the groundwork for sanitation to become an enterprise fund.

An enterprise fund would mean that all money generated by sanitation fees would go only to that department's operations. The council voted 7-3 Monday to limit the amount of money generated by sanitation that goes to other areas of the city to five percent. By contrast, the most recent city budget allocates $1.6 million--or about 15% of sanitation money--to go to a wide variety of other city departments.

Allen says Monday's vote establishes a clear accounting system for the allocation of the sanitation funds, which could clear the way for the eventual creation of a sanitation enterprise fund.

Allen says he thinks the change could happen in five years, when work on the city landfill is completed "or maybe even sooner".

Allen also says he thinks sanitation could be a "real enterprise fund". He says some city operations that are called "enterprise funds" such as the Civic Center or the Ice and Events Center really aren't self funding, but receive other money from the city besides what they actually collect.