Kaysen Says Budget Process Moving Forward

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen says the process for developing budget proposals for fiscal year 2013 is moving ahead. The mayor says he expects to finish the second round of interviews with city department heads this week. Kaysen says once that process is complete he can take another look at the city's overall financial situation, including projected revenues and expenses. The mayor says the biggest challenge will be making up the $1.1 million less the city will receive from the state in direct funds over each of the next two years. Kaysen says he is trying to avoid across the board percentage cuts, and is going through the budget line by line to find ways to save the city money. The mayor has previously said he is hopeful the city can make up some of the funding difference in areas such as purchases and training. Kaysen says that using reserves to make up the difference would be a last resort. The mayor this week also reiterated  that he is not looking at layoffs of city employees to balance the budget, although he has refused to absolutely rule out layoffs if there are no other options. The new fiscal year takes effect on July 1, 2012.