Senate Committee Passes CFD Malt Liquor License Bill

A bill that would give the state jurisdiction over a malt liquor license for Cheyenne Frontier Days passed a Wyoming Senate Committee on Thursday by a 5-0 vote.

The bill now goes on to the full senate. You can read Senate File 134 here.

The issue arose after Cheyenne officials tied awarding of the license to Cheyenne Frontier Days to CFD paying for police officers at Frontier Park during Frontier Days.

City officials reportedly asked CFD for $100,000 for the license last year but settled on a payment of $50,000 to pay for a police presence.

At Thursday's meeting of the Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee on Thursday, CFD CEO Tom Hirsig and lobbyist Pat Crank said they don't have a problem with negotiating with the city on the issue of paying for a police presence, but feel the issue should be separate from the liquor license.

Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr told the committee that the $100,000 cost of providing a police presence at the park would essentially wipe out most of the sales tax benefit the city receives in July of every year from the event.

She also said the city not only has to provide police for the event sanitation and other services related to the event.

Cheyenne city councilman Rocky Case testified before the committee as well, saying he supports SF 134. He hoped the bill would lead to negotiations involving the city council, Frontier Days, Mayor Marian Orr and the Cheyenne Police Department over the issue of paying for a police presence at CFD.