During the Wyoming Legislature’s “interim” session this summer and fall, small groups of lawmakers will meet as committees to discuss specific issues.
Ideally, the committees will prepare fine-tuned legislation that addresses the issues, and then propose it when the full Legislature next convenes in February 2026.
In a series of blog posts, Better Wyoming will break down some of the most important issues of the current “interim” session so folks can better know what’s going on and how to get involved.
ISSUE: Lawmakers have cut property taxes dramatically, defunding public services that our communities depend on—and they're trying to cut even more.
COMMITTEE: Joint Revenue
NEXT MEETING: Aug. 21, Casper
Overview
Read Better Wyoming’s Property Tax FAQ here
Skyrocketing home prices in Wyoming since 2019 have had the additional effect of raising property tax costs for homeowners.
Even though Wyoming’s property tax rate went unchanged and remains among the lowest in the nation, the more a home costs, the more taxes the homeowner pays.
In response, the Wyoming Legislature has spent the past two years passing property tax cuts. These cuts have led to decreased property tax revenues, which fund schools as well as county and local government.
Local services in Wyoming that depend on property tax revenue include some of the most basic functions of government, such as:
- law enforcement
- firefighters
- water and sewer
- Cemeteries
- garbage collection
- hospitals
- roads and bridges
Of course, cutting these services also involve cutting people's jobs.
Small communities with a limited tax base get hurt the most by property tax cuts. We’ve already seen this play out this year when local governments approved budgets that impacted things that are important to communities, like Hot Springs County axing its local 4-H program.
Residents want lower property taxes—who doesn’t?— but people also want an ambulance or fire truck to show up when there’s an emergency, they want the doors to their hospitals to stay open, and they want water to come out of the faucet when they turn on the tap.
Legislative background
Prior to the Freedom Caucus’ takeover of the Legislature in 2024, property tax policies were mostly targeted efforts at relief, funding for income-based rebate programs, as well as incremental adjustments like a 4 percent cap on property tax increases year over year.
With the Freedom Caucus in charge, the Legislature ditched the scalpel in favor of an axe and passed an across-the-board 25 percent property tax cut.
Even though local governments and communities are feeling the impacts of reduced revenue, politicians have latched on to property taxes as a campaign issue and want to push the cuts even further.
In June, the Legislature’s Revenue Committee voted to advance a proposal by Sen. Bob Ide (Casper) that would abolish all property taxes in Wyoming.
The Freedom Caucus intends to offset the roughly $2 billion in lost revenue through extreme budget cuts and radically raising sales tax—this month, the Joint Appropriations Committee will look at removing the state’s current sales tax exemption on groceries.
What’s next?
The Joint Revenue Committee will meet Aug. 21-22 at 8:30 a.m. at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd., in Casper.
The committee is scheduled to discuss property tax issues in the morning session on Aug. 21. The agenda can be found here.
People who can’t attend can watch the meeting on the Wyoming Legislature’s YouTube channel (Look under “Interim Committee Meetings” for Joint Appropriations Committee).