City of Riverton forming citizen committee to explore future funding options for potential multi-sport facility

(Riverton, WY) – The City of Riverton plans to form a new committee to explore potential funding options for a multi-sport recreation facility in town.

The facility – including multipurpose courts, a walking track, meeting rooms, and extra space for other amenities – would cost more than $14 million to build and require an annual subsidy of at least $500,000 per year, according to a feasibility study that was conducted on the city’s behalf this year.

Separately, the study estimated that an ice rink would cost an additional $13 million to build and would increase the annual subsidy amount required to operate the multi-sport facility to almost $1 million per year.

City Administrator Kyle Butterfield “put that subsidy into perspective” during a Riverton City Council work session last week, equating the $1 million subsidy estimate to the total cost required to operate a single city department.

“I bring this up to point out that, if you as a council would like to direct the use of general fund dollars from your budget (to subsidize the facility), we’re looking at eliminating entire services,” Butterfield said. 

Councilmember Karen Johnson said it wouldn’t be “fiscally responsible to even consider” that option.

“It’s not feasible,” she said. “We don’t have that kind of money lying around.”

She also expressed opposition to the idea of covering the subsidy with an additional local tax.

“Everybody is taxed to their eyebrows – and a tax is not going to cover this,” Johnson said. “I think that’s (the) wrong route to go down.”

Plus, she said, “when we start putting additional tax initiatives on the ballot, you really take away from the support of things that are very necessary, like our ambulance service.”

Instead, Johnson said the project should be funded “by stakeholders – through grants and people willing to put forth donations.”

“If they want it, put your money where your mouth is and build it,” she said. “It should not go forward as a tax initiative in any way, shape or form.”

Councilmember Eric Carr said he isn’t in favor of additional taxes either – but he also predicted that a tax might be the only option available to raise money for the multi-sport complex.

Councilmember Rebecca Pierson-Lewis pointed out that an optional tax also gives local voters the opportunity to decide whether they want to support the recreation facility.

“What I hear all the time is, ‘Why don’t we have a rec center?’” she said. “We have interest. We have people that want it. (So) we can ask them if they want the tax to do it.”

Councilmember Mike Bailey said he frequently hears from constituents asking when the city might build its own recreation center, too.

“That’s one of the main things that I ever get talked (to) about,” he said. “There’s a lot of public support for it.

“We’ll see if it ever gets to the point where they support it enough to vote for a tax to pay for it.”

Regardless, for the purposes of last week’s meeting, Bailey said the council was “getting a little bit in the weeds.”

“This is very preliminary,” Bailey said, echoing Mayor Tim Hancock’s earlier suggestion that “we should create some kind of a committee” to study the issue.

Other council members expressed support for that idea as well, so Hancock said he would work with staff to draft a proposal for the committee structure and bring it to the council for approval at a later date.