By Noah Zahn
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

CHEYENNE — As the future of the Wyoming Business Council remains uncertain after it came under fire during the recent legislative session, its board members met Tuesday to discuss how it will approach the coming year.

Ultimately, the meeting resulted in a move by the board to review its own composition and its relationship with other state entities, specifically targeting the final approval authority held by the State Loan and Investment Board. That board is comprised of the state’s top five elected officials.

The meeting was called primarily to establish goals for CEO Josh Dorrell, to discuss the board’s role in the upcoming legislative interim and to address the agency’s strategic direction.

While a compromise eventually secured $15 million for the agency — far below the $112 million originally requested — the board signaled that “business as usual” for the WBC will not be familiar to the council in the coming year.

No supplemental budget

During Tuesday’s meeting, the WBC board decided to drop its planned supplemental budget request for 2027, with co-chair Derek Smith saying the item had “morphed into something else.”

Instead of seeking more funds immediately, Smith emphasized a return to core missions.

“The primary goal is to continue doing the work of creating that economic vision and direction for the state of Wyoming and to continue efforts with our communities to help them to succeed,” Smith said. He acknowledged that while legislative and gubernatorial efforts are important, the “primary role of the Business Council still remains the same.”

Board members expressed concern with their lack of final authority over the grants and loans it vets. Board member Ryan Lance pointed to a recent SLIB meeting during which the five elected officials denied a housing grant for the city of Cheyenne that the WBC had previously recommended.

“At best, we’re an advisory board to them, and at worst, we’re seen as either a blank check written to them or a stumbling stone along their way to deny a project,” Lance said.

He argued that if the WBC is going to “take heat” from the Legislature, it should possess the authority to match that responsibility.

Joe Schaffer, another board member, echoed these frustrations, describing a “habit of pulling together knowledgeable groups of experts” who dedicate months to recommendations, only to have that work “dismantled in minutes by singular political statements, whims and processes.” Schaffer criticized the state structure that allows the elected officials to discard the work of local communities and economic development agencies.

To critics who often say the WBC gets to pick winners and losers in the private market as a government-funded agency, Schaffer said that the current structure “embeds government into the decision” because final authority rests with SLIB.

Board member Bruce Pivic was blunt regarding the SLIB decision.

“What happened in Cheyenne here a couple weeks ago was tragic,” Pivic said, adding that the infrastructure project was “kiboshed because of a political rhetoric,” despite being one of the best grant applications he said he has ever seen.

Mandate for internal reform

In response to these challenges from the Legislature, the board passed a motion to conduct a formal review of the WBC’s structure. The review will evaluate whether the current board is “appropriately structured to lead on strategy, not solely provide oversight,” and if it possesses the “collective capabilities” necessary for Wyoming’s changing economy.

The motion includes an evaluation of “the continued involvement of the State Loan and Investment Board as a final approving entity” and the role of the governor as co-chair of the WBC board.

Board member Dave Kinsky supported the need for speed.

“Working from quarter to quarter, from meeting to meeting … to be effective, we’ve got to speed things up,” Kinsky said, noting that competitors in states like Texas make decisions in weeks, while Wyoming can take years.

Board member Mark Christensen had a different perspective, suggesting the problem is partly a “structural problem created by the Legislature.” 

He argued that because local governments cannot sustain themselves without being a “mineral producing economy,” they have become dependent on the Legislature or the WBC for basic community enhancements.

Looking toward the interim

This interim, the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development and Joint Appropriations committees will focus heavily on the WBC. Smith said board members would be active with Dorrell during these meetings to represent the Business Council’s interests directly.

“This is an agency, and we have a role to help shape that vision and to work with our partners and the Legislature to shape it,” Smith said.

Additionally, a new task force comprised of five board members will work with the Governor’s Office to refine the WBC’s mission and seek feedback from external stakeholders like mayors and business owners.

The board set a deadline of June for the results of the internal structural review to be presented.

As the meeting adjourned, Dorrell expressed optimism, despite the hurdles.

“If you look at some of the things that are causing stumbling points within our system, we’re the board and we’re the team that needs to look at that and push for solutions to fix the problems,” Dorrell said. He urged the board to be “bold” because “Wyoming deserves it.”

The WBC board will next meet in person in Rock Springs May 19-20.

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