The full compliment of city council was on hand for a regular council session.
Unanimously, the council passed a consent agenda item establishing September 5, 2017 as a public hearing date to consider the rezoning of 207 South Minnesota Avenue, from One Unit Residential and General Business.
The council also passed a second reading of an ordinance that would vacate a portion of the alley south of West Yellowstone Highway, between David and Ash Streets.
During public comment portion, citizens stood up to address a controversial exchange between Councilpersons Jesse Morgan and Amanda Huckabay, dealing with a heated exchange from a work session last Tuesday. Morgan had suggested mitigating measures that could be taken in bars, citing recent sexual assault panels wherein over-consumption of alcohol was discussed as being a community problem. Huckabay took exception to Morgan’s comments, saying that she perceived that Morgan was drawing a causation between over-consumption of alcohol and sexual assault.
The members of council also addressed the controversy at the end of the meeting, including Huckabay who said that she had reacted to Morgan’s comments after feeling emotionally triggered by the discussion of sexual assault. Huckabay has identified herself as a sexual assault survivor. She went on to describe the perspective of a sexual assault survivor in modern society, pointing out daily situations that she says affects women every day. Casper Mayor Keneyne Humphrey supported Huckabay’s comments, playing down a voicemail message, wherein an apparently male voice made commentary on Humphrey’s physical appearance and ending with “I love you.” Humprey said that she was unaware of the identity of the caller.
The following consent resolutions were passed during the meeting as well.
- Authorization of an agreement in the amount of $49,068.60, for the Casper Events Center Hairpin Rails Installation Project.
- Authorizing Agreement with GSG Architecture, in the Amount of $261,726, for the
New Casper Fire Station No. 5. - Accepting Grant from the Wyoming Water Development Commission, in the amount of $852,910, for the CY Booster Station Replacement Project.
- Authorizing Lease Agreement with the Casper Coyotes Junior Hockey, LLC, for
use of the Use of the Casper Ice Arena. - Authorizing Lease Agreement with the Casper Amateur Hockey Club for Use of
the Casper Ice Arena. - Authorizing Memorandum of Agreement with Wyoming Department of
Transportation and Right-of-Way Easement with the Transportation Commission
of Wyoming for Signal Improvements at the Intersection of Southwest Wyoming
Boulevard and Fort Caspar Road. - Rescinding Resolution 14-149 and Establishing Fees and Rules for Use of the
Hogadon Basin Ski Lodge. - Rescinding the Agreement with Full Contact Concrete LLC, and Rescind
Resolution No. 17-86 for the 2017 Pedestrian Pathway Project.