RAWLINS -- Rawlins is soliciting help from the University of Wyoming as the south-central Wyoming city considers its economic development plan.

Rawlins and officials from UW's Agricultural and Applied Economics Department met informally Wednesday to discuss different ways of gathering economic data that could help the city in making an economic plan.

David Taylor, a UW Cooperative Extension Service professor and community development specialist, recommended first studying "sales tax leakage." That's when tax base shifts out of the city's jurisdiction.

Other areas of study could include potential economic impacts of the proposed National Pronghorn Interpretive and Visitors Center and the cumulative impacts of local natural resource industries.