Cheyenne panel outlines scale, approvals and incentives for data center growth

Tom Crave, president of the Cheyenne City Council, convened a panel of city officials, utility managers and industry representatives to explain how data‑center development occurs in Cheyenne and what the public should expect.

Betsy Hail, CEO of Cheyenne Leads, said the local counting method treats each campus or location as a unit: “we have 10 that are operating, we have five under construction, and nine that are announced,” and Cheyenne Leads has worked with dozens of additional companies in various stages of inquiry. Hail said the office posts an updated landing page with project status and resources for residents.

Mayor Patrick Collins and Charles Bloom, the city’s director of planning and development, described the local review path for larger projects: planning‑commission hearings, a first reading, referral to the public service committee (chaired by Dr. Michelle Aldridge), a second reading and a final governing‑body reading — providing multiple public comment opportunities. Collins said technical staff at planning, engineering, building and the Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) perform detailed reviews and that the city uses background checks to vet prospective companies.

Panelists also reviewed incentives and fiscal outcomes. Officials said Wyoming provides a sales‑tax exemption on servers and a state data‑center cost‑reduction grant (up to about $2.25 million) while companies pay property and personal‑property taxes and franchise fees. Collins noted Microsoft reported paying nearly $11 million in property taxes in Laramie County in a recent year, a figure he cited to illustrate local tax receipts.

Transparency tools were emphasized: an administrative project map and the Connect Cheyenne portal host application packets, schedules and public comment forms, and Cheyenne Leads and county landing pages link to county land‑use maps. Panelists said those pages are the public’s primary sources for application status and hearing dates.

Why Cheyenne? Hail cited climate, fiber connectivity, existing large‑load power contracts, predictable land‑use regulations, available water and sewer and competitive tax policy as the main locational draws.