Mayor: Cheyenne Special Election Cost $25K-$30K

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen says he thinks this week's special election on creating a position of city administrator in Cheyenne will probably end up costing between $25,000 and $30,000.

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to have an appointed city administrator take over most day-to-day governmental decisions, including the appointment of city department heads.

The proposal had been strongly backed by the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, and the city administrator ballot proposal was approved by the Cheyenne City Council earlier this year.

When asked whether the money spent on the election was worth the cost of the election, Mayor Kaysen said the answer to that question 'would be very subjective". But he did note the cost of the election came from the city's reserve funds, and said the money could certainly have been used elsewhere.

A special referendum held in Casper earlier this month on whether to allow smoking in bars and restaurants cost that city only $12,000, according to KTWO radio.