CASPER, Wyo. — On Thursday, the Casper Downtown Development Authority voted to grant $2,000 to the Downtown Casper Business Association for costs associated with holiday marketing.
The board’s decision came following a request from DCBA treasurer Calley Kaltenheuser.
“The DCBA is trying to market the downtown. … Marketing is a very expensive part of what we do, which is [why] we ask the DDA to help fund it,” Kaltenheuser said.
In her pitch, Kaltenheuser said downtown is in dire need of marketing, as she’s seen decreased foot traffic in recent years and the closure of several downtown businesses.
DDA members largely agreed that Casper’s downtown needs to be promoted, but some on the board wondered if the DCBA was using marketing funds in the most efficient ways. Board member Shawn Houck noted that the DCBA used more money for radio advertising than social media advertising in the prior year, and questioned whether that was the best way to spend advertising dollars. Kaltenheuser responded that more money was spent on radio advertising because it’s more expensive, and not because it’s their primary avenue of advertising.
“I agree that I don’t think radio is the way,” Kaltenheuser said. “I do a ton on social media.”
The funding will be provided through the DDA Boost grant program. However, DDA Executive Director Melissa Hugget said the DCBA didn’t follow standard protocols when seeking the funds.
“They spent $4,500 on holiday promotions, but they came to us with a Plan A and a Plan B, and we typically want a clear plan of what they’re going to be doing and how they’re going to be spending the money,” Hugget told Oil City News. “Because of timing, those things didn’t happen.”
Hugget also added that the funding is being granted after the fact rather than ahead of a project, which is also atypical. In part because of those reasons, she said, the authority ultimately voted to award the DCBA $2,000 instead of the full $4,500 it was seeking.
Though the DDA usually restricts organizations and businesses to one Boost grant per fiscal year, DDA members supported the idea of allowing the DCBA to seek another grant in 2026.
“We could approve the $2,000 as recommended, and also say to them that we’re willing to waive the rule that they can only get one grant per fiscal year,” Houck said. “Then, if they come back to us before the next grant deadline with a plan and purpose, we’d be willing to consider a grant for them this year.”
“I like the board decision,” Hugget said after Thursday’s board meeting. “[The DCBA] definitely did good work bringing people into downtown, and I think the decision reflects that.”
