Honoring outgoing Casper City Council members and welcoming incoming city council members will be at the forefront of tonight's meeting.

Current council members Joel Burdess and Tom Walsh will leave the council after about five months of service. They were both appointed after former council members Lynn Whalen and Page Fagan left Casper.

In their place will be political newcomer Kimberly Holloway and political veteran Bill Brauer.

The council will also formally elect a new mayor and vice mayor and the two will begin their one-year terms in their new leadership positions. In an informal council vote, council members elected Kenyne Schlager as mayor and Maury Daubin as vice mayor.

Schlager continues in her third of four years on the council, and Daubin enters his new four-year term after being re-elected in November.

Also on the agenda, the new council will vote to set a public hearing date to discuss shortening city blocks.

According to a memo from the city's community development director, April Getchius, shortening the length of a block can not only improve walkability but also route traffic more efficiently and help emergency response vehicles.

Currently, a city block can be as long as 1,320 feet. City staff members want the council to lower than maximum to 750 feet. Staff members also proposed requiring developers to use only detached sidewalks in new developments.

The council will vote tonight to set the public hearing for Jan. 20.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com

To attend

The Casper City Council will meet at 6 p.m. tonight in City Hall, 200 N. David St.

The Casper City Council will meet at 6 p.m. tonight in City Hall, 200 N. David St.]]>