City votes 8-2 to annex WY Fresh after owners request closure

Cheyenne City Council members voted to bring the WY Fresh farm into city limits during a meeting on Monday evening, Nov. 9. The decision came after the farm’s owners asked the council to approve the annexation so they could sell the property and move their business.

The vote passed by a margin of 8 to 2. The annexation includes the WY Fresh parcel and other small areas of county land located in south Cheyenne. City staff had spent the summer drafting changes to the Unified Development Code to address agricultural concerns raised by the farm owners.

Tommie Kniseley, one of the farm owners, told the council that the process had stripped the business of legal protections. She argued that new nuisance ordinances would leave the farm vulnerable to complaints about roosters, tractor noise, and odors from manure. Kniseley stated that the farm had already suffered losses this year due to the forced annexation process.

The Kniseley family, including co-owner David Kniseley, had previously resisted the city’s efforts to incorporate their land. The farm had been a target for annexation since early in the year as part of a city plan to eliminate isolated pockets of county land surrounded by urban territory. The owners had benefited from looser agricultural regulations while in county jurisdiction.

David Kniseley addressed the council with a mix of frustration and resignation. He said he expected the council to face criticism from the public for how they handled the negotiations. He described the city administration as a threat to liberty and asked the council to listen to the community’s concerns. He noted that state and county officials had told the family that city officials would eventually pressure them out of the urban area.

Community members took the floor to express their views before the vote. Tommy Perry, a resident of Pine Bluffs, described the process as bureaucratic bullying. He said he did not see leadership in the forced annexation of a hardworking local family. Other speakers called council members bullies and backstabbers.

Councilor Michelle Aldrich initially planned to withdraw the WY Fresh property from the annexation ordinance. She had drafted an amendment to remove the land because owners were opposed. However, she changed her stance after reading a social media post from the farm. The post stated that the family wanted the land annexed quickly to secure financial resources for relocation. Aldrich said she had never voted for an annexation where the land owner was asking for it.

Councilor Ken Esquibel voted against the measure. He explained that he had promised earlier in the year to support the annexation only when the Kniseleys were comfortable with the decision. He felt the family did not appear comfortable with the change. The council postponed one code update to review a provision protecting existing agricultural uses and rejected a second update that would have allowed gravel parking lots.