State Construction Department

State Building Commission

Effective Date: 02/09/2022 to 03/19/2025

Rule Type: Superceded Rules & Regulations

Reference Number: 027.0004.4.02092022

CHAPTER 4

Operation, Management, and Use of Public Buildings

Section 1. Authority. The State Building Commission, pursuant to Wyoming Statute §§ 9-5-106(a) and 9-5-107, is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations relative to the operation, management, and use of public buildings.

Section 2. Purpose. This Chapter describes the general procedures relevant to the operation, management, and use of public buildings; authorizes General Services to promulgate policies that shall bind all agencies to which these rules apply for the operation, management, and use of public buildings; and provides exceptions to these rules and General Services' policies for particular buildings.

Section 3. State facility management. Agencies shall manage, operate, and use public buildings in a manner that provides for quality space and services consistent with their operational needs and accomplishes overall government objectives. Buildings and building systems management, operation, and use must:

1. (a) Be cost effective and energy efficient;
2. (b) Be adequate to meet the agency's missions; and
3. (c) Be conducted in an appropriate manner to maintain and preserve the building and building systems, consistent with available funding.

Section 4. Operation, management, and use policies and procedures.

1. (a) General Services shall adopt operation, management, and use policies (General Services policies). All agencies and their employees shall comply with the adopted General Services policies.
2. (b) Each occupant agency shall annually train its employees to ensure they have an awareness and understanding of the General Services policies.
3. (c) Occupant agencies may develop policies to address requests by another agency or government entity to use their facilities. General Services shall develop use policies for common spaces, such as meeting rooms and lobbies, in public buildings occupied by more than one agency to ensure agencies and other branches of State Government fair and equitable access to such spaces, including events put on by private parties for governmental parties, but which are not open to the general public.
4. (d) Exemptions. All exemptions from this Chapter must be requested in writing for prior approval from the General Services Administrator or designee. The General Services Administrator shall approve or deny all requests in writing.

Section 5. Occupancy, use, repair, and maintenance or construction projects in public buildings.

(a) The Commission’s Chapter 6 rules govern the use of those portions of public buildings subject to Commission control and regulation.

(b) All rents resulting from occupancy of the Capitol Complex shall be collected by General Services and paid into the general fund.

(c) All proposed construction or renovation projects shall be reviewed and approved by the Commission, the Governor, the State Treasurer, State Historic Preservation Office, General Services, and SCD before beginning any work. Except for emergency maintenance, the Commission shall not approve any construction or renovation project that amounts to architectural or structural alteration to the Capitol Building or grounds without providing notice to the management council of the Legislature and without a legislative session convening and adjourning after notice was provided to the management council.

(d) Security in the State Capitol Properties shall be provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Division O, and contract security officers. Security may be provided in all other public buildings by contract security officers.

(e) Persons who reasonably appear to pose a threat to themselves, the general public, or the occupants of a public building shall be denied access to the public building and may be escorted from the grounds according to the discretion of the persons providing security to that public building.

(f) No dangerous weapon may be carried in public buildings, except those lawfully carried by peace officers, including contract security officers. The persons providing security are authorized to request that any persons carrying a dangerous weapon in a public building relinquish the weapon. The weapon shall be returned to the person when he or she leaves the public building, unless Division O and contract security officers, as applicable, have probable cause to detain either the person or the weapon. If a person carrying a dangerous weapon refuses to relinquish the weapon to law enforcement officers, that person shall be denied access to the public building.

Section 6. Legislative and judicial facilities; agencies with independent statutory authority for the operation, management, and use of public buildings. This Chapter of the Commission’s rules shall apply to facilities occupied by the Legislature or the members thereof to the extent the legislative management council specifically concurs under W.S. § 9-5-106(d)(i), and facilities occupied by the judiciary or the members thereof to the extent the judicial council specifically concurs under W.S. § 9-5-106(d)(ii). This rule shall be subject to any memoranda of understanding or other agreements entered into between the Commission and the legislative management council under W.S. § 9-5-106(f) with regard to the Capitol Complex. For those rooms or facilities with joint executive and legislative control, any agency, State employee, or elected official shall inform General Services of its intent to utilize the space. General Services shall ensure that legislative uses shall take priority if there is a conflict between a requested use by an agency, State employee, or elected official. The Commission’s rules shall apply to facilities occupied by any agency assigned the operation, management, and use of a public

building under W.S. § 9-5-106(a), unless that agency adopts rules that are different from and inconsistent with those of the Commission.

Section 7. Emergency closure of State buildings. In the event of an emergency or a public health order encouraging social distancing, the General Services Administrator shall, in consultation with the Governor’s Office, have the authority to close state buildings to the public until such time as they can safely be reopened. The Commission shall have the authority to overrule such closures by a majority vote.

Section 8. Policies to enforce public health emergency orders. When a public health emergency has been declared, the Secretary, in consultation with the Governor, may adopt, and General Services may administer and enforce a policy in conformity with any County health order for as long as that County health order remains in effect. Any policy adopted by the Secretary shall be promptly communicated to the members of the Commission and subject to ratification at the next Commission meeting to remain in effect.