CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The race between City of Cheyenne entrepreneurs for the city’s new full retail liquor license could only have one victor, and because of that — alongside further issues regarding liquor license laws across the area — Laramie County communities are mulling banding together to push for a change at the state level.
The Cheyenne city council brought forward a resolution in its meeting Monday that, if signed by all municipalities of Laramie County (Cheyenne, Pine Bluffs, Burns and Albin), would have them officially declare that the state’s current method of awarding liquor licenses to cities — using census data as a baseline — is “stifling economic growth in not only large but smaller communities” and is overall a detriment to Wyoming.
As part of the council’s consent agenda Monday, the item wasn’t passed or discussed and was instead referred to the finance committee for future discussion. Seven of the council’s nine members — Michelle Aldrich, Ken Esquibel, Bryan Cook, Richard Johnson, Mark Rinne, Scott Roybal and Jeff White — were listed in the agenda as sponsors of the resolution.
Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins told Cap City News on Monday that the other Laramie County communities listed on the resolution had expressed support for it, but that it had not yet passed through their separate governing bodies.
The proposed resolution states that Laramie County communities would recognize that city and town bodies that decide how to dish out liquor licenses are being placed in a “precarious situation of picking ‘winners and losers’ amongst a variety of qualified candidates” due to the current state statutes.
It would also request the Wyoming Association of Municipalities to draft a similar item calling for a number of changes to the laws, including the removal of census requirements.
“[The] municipalities of Laramie County recognize that tourism is the number two industry in Wyoming,” the proposed resolution states. “The modifications to State Statutes on issuance of liquor licenses for new development will create an atmosphere of community and not as a pass through to other locales.”
Much criticism has come about from the council regarding the laws throughout the selection cycle for Cheyenne’s new full retail liquor license. The license had as many as 11 different applicants prior to one candidate dropping out and another opting to apply for a different license late in the process.
