Kaysen Proposes $49.6 Million City Budget

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen is proposing a $49.6 million budget for the city for fiscal year 2013, a decrease of about 1.8 percent compared to the 2012 budget as approved by the city council last year. The mayor says no layoffs of full-time city employees are included in his budget proposal, but there will be cutbacks of hours among some part time employees as well as one layoff.

Kaysen says other cutbacks include a reduction in some employee training and a cutback  in purchases of some materials by the city. There are also no employee raises in the budget, and a new phone system for city hall will not be included in this year's budget. The phone system was also deferred last year, despite concerns the current system is outdated. Kaysen does warn that if a proposed 4.1 percent garbage rate increase is not approved by the city council, layoffs of full time employees would then become a possibility, as would reductions in some city services.

The full city council must approve the budget before it can be finalized.