Sheriff says Cheyenne annexations a ‘land grab’ by mayor

Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak says Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins is using annexation to “land grab” areas of the county to fill the city’s coffers, but it leaves the county stretched to provide public safety services. “The mayor is land-grabbing for property revenue but not expanding public safety resources,” Kozak commented on social media last week. “My agency and fire districts have to pick up the slack. The city should plan for smart growth and expand their services at the same rate.”

Collins denies the sheriff’s claims. “I think people think we’re doing this for the money we get from property taxes,” the mayor told Cowboy State Daily. “I understand the narrative, but it just isn’t true.” Collins acknowledged that annexation and growth have affected public services. “Part of the reason we’re looking to annex, when you look at the public service factor, is that when a call comes we know who should be responding,” he said. The City Council’s efforts to annex pockets of county land that are at least 75% surrounded by the city over the past four years have left big question marks over which public service entities respond to requests for help.

According to the mayor, the county collects property tax from all properties within the county, including those within Cheyenne city limits. Conversely, “if it’s not in the city, we don’t get property tax,” the mayor said. For every $400,000 home within Cheyenne city limits, the city receives $304 in property taxes, while Laramie County gets $380. “This is not a money grab,” he said. “We’re trying to clean up the regulatory public safety and services.”

Yet the Laramie County Fire Authority has had to pivot after it lost 25% of its funding last year with the passage of Senate File 69, which gives homeowners a permanent 25% tax exemption on the first $1 million of a primary residence’s fair market value. Fire Authority Chief Jason Caughey said his agency’s call volume continues to increase. In 2011, the agency responded to 650 calls. In 2025, it was just under 2,000 calls. “Our revenue is declining and our call volume is going up,” he said.

Kozak said he believes the city should contract with the county to provide for those services, or be smart with planning for growth. “It’s not properly planned in my opinion,” Kozak said. “In other words, don’t annex until you’re prepared to provide the emergency services for that area.” When the Walmart distribution center and a Microsoft data center were annexed into the city, the Laramie County Fire Authority took a big hit to its budget because commercial occupancies provided big dollars in property taxes. “They’re really feeling it,” Kozak said, “because they have to continue to provide these public services but they’re losing their property tax base.”

Kozak said it is the county fire departments that often respond to calls within the newly annexed portions of the city because “it seems like they’re annexing areas that are difficult for the city fire department and police department to respond to.” He said his deputies patrol those areas “because we understand they’re never going to see police officers down there. We believe we have a duty to make those people feel comfortable.”

Collins said that in some ways, it doesn’t matter to a person in distress who responds. “What I’ve always shared is that when somebody calls 911, you don’t care who shows up, as long as it’s a big red truck,” he said. “You just want somebody to be there.” As voters consider how to best use revenue from the county’s longstanding sixth penny sales tax this year, Collins said he is asking for money to fund a new fire station. “We have great relationships with the county fire agencies and a really good relationship with the county deputies,” Collins said. “We could not survive without our partners. And quite frankly, I think they could not survive without us. When it comes to the men and women who serve, it’s a brotherhood. We have a great partnership and I really value that.”