Wyoming Lawmakers Weigh $560M Building Plan, From Leaky Roofs To Big-Ticket Remodels

Wyoming’s State Construction Department (SCD) laid out a $560 million wish list for the 2027-28 budget cycle on Friday, walking lawmakers through everything from routine building maintenance to major remodels and new training facilities, Gillette News Record reports.

The presentation came during a meeting of the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC), as lawmakers gear up for the 2026 budget session that starts Feb. 9.

SCD Director Delbert McOmie and his team brought 23 separate requests, with the biggest chunk tied to major maintenance:

• $232,979,440 from the Strategic Investment Projects Account;
• Covering about 20 million square feet of state facilities, community colleges, state parks and the University of Wyoming.

That request has Gov. Mark Gordon’s backing in his proposed budget.

McOmie said the state is now using a modern 20-year facility condition assessment, similar to what’s used for K-12 schools, and it’s already drawing national praise.

“We attended the National Association of State Facility Administrators in Salt Lake City and won an award for where Wyoming’s at in monitoring this and how we’re using that data,” he told lawmakers.

The maintenance formula is based on a 2.5% condition multiplier, up from 2%. McOmie said that bump should stretch building life spans to 67–75 years and save the state more than $3 billion in future construction costs.

The department also asked for:

• $1.2 million for reconnaissance and feasibility studies, including possible replacement facilities at Casper College;
• Nearly $6 million for the State Building Commission Contingency Fund, used for urgent repairs and quick property deals.

Both those items have the governor’s support.

But several big agency requests did not make the cut in Gordon’s budget — and lawmakers took notice.

One was an $11.9 million request from the Department of Administration and Information for a statewide upgrade to building security and access control systems.

Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, questioned why the department jumped straight to a full build-out.

“It kind of feels like we went zero to 100 on this,” he said.

A&I’s Andrew Kuhlmann replied that they can’t just shut down old systems until new ones are fully in place, which makes partial steps tricky.

McOmie told the committee the State Building Commission had earlier supported $6 million for the project, but the governor later pulled that back when looking at the bigger budget picture.

Another casualty: a $20.5 million request to continue renovations in the Hathaway Building in Cheyenne, which Gordon also denied.

The Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy also saw two requests turned down:

• $18.1 million for a new Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) driving complex;
• $4.3 million for new firearms ranges, including an indoor 50-yard, 30-lane range.

Academy Director Chuck Bain told lawmakers the current EVOC track is built over a drainage area and will need major work within 3–5 years just to stay usable. He said the driving complex is the priority over the range.

The Wyoming State Fair ran into similar roadblocks. Gordon denied:

• $37.7 million to enclose the Silver Arena in Douglas;
• Even authorization to spend $2 million in private funds the fair has already raised to replace the dirt floor in the show center with concrete, drainage and cooling coils.

Fair General Manager Courtney Conkle said the private money is ready to go — they just need the green light to use it.

One big project did get full approval: an $87 million remodel and modernization of the Veterans’ Home of Wyoming in Buffalo.

Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, asked why the state is moving forward without waiting for locked-in federal money.

McOmie said it comes down to inflation.

“The longer we delay, the higher the inflation,” he said, noting that cost shifts have already changed the split from 65% federal / 35% state to about 47% federal / 53% state.

Sen. Tim French, R-Powell, backed the goal but balked at the price tag.

“I strongly support our veterans,” he said. “Having said that, $87 million for this remodel … sometimes you’re better off tearing that building down and rebuilding it with our modern facilities.”

Friday’s hearing wrapped up the first week of JAC meetings on the upcoming budget. Lawmakers return Monday to dive into Department of Health requests, with two more weeks of meetings in January ahead of the full Legislature’s budget session starting Feb. 9.

The $560 million construction package — and which projects survive — will be one of many big decisions on the table.