The City of Laramie’s Budget Survey concluded mid-February and the results are in, with staggering support for emergency services, road maintenance, and more. To wrap up the survey process, the City of Laramie greatly encourages residents to join the public City Council meeting on February 27^th at 6:30 p.m. to hear the full results of the survey and leave public comment on the future of Laramie regarding City spending.

The results of the Budget Survey, gathered and calculated by City of Laramie Management Analyst, Brannen Moan, will be presented at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 27^th. Moan will discuss the purpose of the survey, the specific data gathered, if the data is representative of census data. Administrative Services Director Jenn Wade and City Manager Janine Jordan will continue the presentation regarding how the City will use the data to support development and infrastructure in Laramie.

“The City hasn’t done anything quite like this as far as the budget goes. The digital survey was a new way to gather feedback on what City services, programs, and facilities are important to our citizens,” reports Management Analyst Moan. “The survey gathered information on where residents would like to see money go in the next two years, as well as just general feedback on what’s important to Laramie residents so we can be in tune with the community as the budget is developed for the next two years.”

The Budget Survey was a digital survey open to all of Laramie’s community from December 21^st through February 15^th. (Hard copies of the survey were available upon request). Responses will now be used by the Laramie City Council alongside City staff to build out the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget.

Although a city budget may not be high-priority for some community members, it’s an important topic for residents to be engaged in as it allows them to have a voice that directs City spending. The survey did receive a high response rate and preliminary trends showed emphasis on emergency response (police, fire, etc.) and infrastructure (roads, water, maintenance etc.), though further, specific detail will be given at Tuesday’s meeting.

“People should attend this meeting to hear the full results of the survey because not only does it provide insight on what their neighbors think about the budget, but it informs them about what the budget will look like, where our residents’ priorities are, and it’s a forum for people to be able to provide comment. If there’s something in our presentation that matters to them or something that wasn’t represented, this is their opportunity to let their voice be heard in front of the City Council,” says Moan.

All City Council meetings are open to the public and are a great opportunity for residents to share their voice and be a part of decision making in Laramie. The next meeting on February 27^th at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers will include the presentation on the Budget Survey, plus provide further opportunity for the public to comment on topics that matter to them as it pertains to the City budget. To view City Council meeting dates, times, location, and agendas, please visit https://www.cityoflaramie.org/calendar.aspx.