Dear editor:
Dear Editor,
As the owner of Denel's Delights, a small baked goods business specializing in homemade treats, I am writing to express my deep concern over Laramie County's proposed land use regulations, particularly the home occupation permit requirements that threaten to undermine the spirit of freedom that drew me to Wyoming.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I fled the suffocating regulations of the East Coast, where entrepreneurs like me were buried under endless bureaucracy.
Wyoming's Food Freedom Act was a beacon of hope; a groundbreaking law that allows producers to sell homemade foods directly to consumers without onerous inspections or licenses. It embodied the frontier spirit: self-reliance, innovation, and the right to earn a living without government overreach.
Since relocating here in 2021, I've built Denel's Delights from scratch. Starting in my home kitchen, I've expanded to farmer's markets across Wyoming, from Cheyenne to Laramie and beyond. My desserts have become local favorites.
I've even had the honor of providing sweets for parties at the Governor's Mansion, a testament to the quality and trust in my products under the Food Freedom Act. This law has empowered countless small businesses like mine, fostering economic growth and community connections without compromising safety.
So, why is Laramie County trying to undo the hard work of our state legislature? The proposed regulations require a permit for any home business activity, even those already covered by the Food Freedom Act.
As outlined in the county's draft, this includes submitting applications, plot plans, and granting officials extra access to private property. This is redundant and invasive. It's presented as "deregulation," but it's just more red tape.
Free permits or not (and let's not kid ourselves... there will be a fee eventually), they add unnecessary hurdles that punish entrepreneurship.
Laramie County's planners seem determined to frustrate small businesses.
In the recent public hearing, Julie Formby rightly pointed out that baking and food prep under the Food Freedom Act shouldn't need additional county oversight.
Yet, the response has been to insist on permits for "certification" to maintain neighborhood character.
This ignores the act's intent: to liberate producers from exactly this kind of local meddling. If a business complies with state law and doesn't create nuisances, why demand permission slips?
I moved here for Wyoming's rugged individualism, not for the same nanny-state nonsense I escaped.
But every now and then, I see a few bureaucrats and elected officials wishing we were more like Colorado, with its layers of rules stifling freedom.
Rather than saddling us with onerous regulations that contradict state policy, why can't those folks just move a few miles south? They'd fit right in there, and we'd all be happier.
Let's keep Wyoming free. I urge Laramie County commissioners to scrap the home occupation permit requirement for Food Freedom Act-compliant businesses.
Our legislature got it right — don't let local overreach spoil the recipe. Instead, they should remove all such restrictions. /That/ is Wyoming's "neighborhood character."
Sincerely,
Denel Pugh
Owner, Denel's Delights
Laramie County, Wyoming
