Casper City Council has a big night for builders on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Two items on the 6 p.m. agenda could shape what gets built and how contractors get licensed.
A grant for streets and pipes
The first is a public hearing on a resolution to apply to the Wyoming Business Council's Building Resilient Communities grant and loan program. The money would pay for "critical infrastructure for a workforce housing project," according to the agenda.
The council's Oct. 20 meeting packet fills in the details. The city would ask for a $15,845,349 grant, with cash and in-kind matches of $3,961,337.25. A draft development agreement between the city and Harmony Hills Development LLC describes water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and street surfacing for a mixed-use development of about 20 acres, with about 158 homes. A draft letter for Mayor Ray Pacheco describes them as single-family homes, tiny homes, twin homes and fourplexes.
Under the draft agreement, the developer would cover 23.11% of project invoices, estimated at $3,627,958.85, plus any costs above the grant. The developer would also dedicate about 8.175 acres of right-of-way for roads, valued for the application at about $135,312. The city's share would be 1.26% of each invoice, up to $198,066.86.
The city would act as the grant's fiscal agent and would run the bidding. The agreement says the city would use a public, competitive process for contracts paid with grant money, with preference for Wyoming bidders, workers and materials as state law requires. Contractors would have to post payment and performance bonds. The developer would agree to start vertical construction within 24 months after the infrastructure is substantially complete, subject to market conditions and other factors.
The deal only goes forward if the Business Council and the State Loan and Investment Board approve the grant.
The packet doesn't say where the site is. In August, Oil City News reported that councilors agreed at a work session to apply for this grant on behalf of local developer and property owner Lisa Burridge, for an infill site near Raven Crest Apartments off Wyoming Boulevard. Burridge said then that the project would bring 200 to 250 mixed-income homes, and the match was estimated at about $3.7 million, with $184,000 from the city. The figures in the October packet are different, and the packet doesn't name Burridge.
"Grant participation would reduce the extraordinarily high front-end burden and make development achievable," Burridge said in August.
Community Development Director Liz Becher told the council then that a state study found Casper about 1,800 units short on affordable housing.
A rewritten building code
Later in the meeting, the council takes up the second reading of an ordinance that repeals and replaces Title 15, the city's building and construction code. It passed first reading Oct. 6, with councilors Pat Sweeney and Gena Jensen voting no, Oil City News reported.
The ordinance adopts the 2024 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas and Existing Building codes, along with the 2026 National Electrical Code. It also changes contractor licensing. New license categories would cover cellular communications, framing, drywall, insulation and both flatwork and general concrete. Under the draft, a framing license would require a year of qualifying experience and passing an International Code Council framing exam. A flatwork concrete license would require a year of experience and an American Concrete Institute flatwork certification.
Active license holders would need four hours of continuing education a year. Chief Building Official Justin Scott said Casper would be the first city in the state to require it for trades beyond electrical. Starting work before getting a permit would cost double the permit fee, with the surcharge capped at $750.
Sweeney argued the new fee schedule makes residential permits more expensive while cutting commercial fees, which he said works against affordable housing.
Why it matters for Contractors
If the grant comes through, it would mean millions of dollars of publicly bid street and utility work in Casper, and up to about 158 home sites once the infrastructure is in. Civil contractors should watch for the bid. Homebuilders should watch for lots coming to market.
The code rewrite affects nearly everyone who pulls a permit in Casper. Framers, drywallers, insulators and concrete crews who haven't needed a city license may soon need one, plus the testing or certification that comes with it. Every license holder would need to budget time for continuing education. Residential builders should look closely at the new permit and plan-check fees before the final vote.
Contractors can comment at the meeting or email CouncilComments@casperwy.gov.