During the 2025 Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) Legislative conference, members of the state's 23 counties voted whether to support or oppose bills being considered by the legislature that impact their communities in some way.
On the evening of January 23rd, commissioners from each county met with their representatives in separate meetings to discuss these bills.
Laramie County Commissioners invited our local legislators to an open house at the WCCA headquarters. About five representatives attended the discussion, mainly focusing on the bills to reduce residential property taxes. These taxes stay local and pay for schools, courts, roads, and public safety. Several legislators campaigned on this issue and assured Laramie County residents that any reduction in property taxes would be backfilled with state surplus funding. We found out at this meeting that this option has a very slim chance of happening. If current bills are considered to pass, 25 to 50 percent of property taxation supporting local resources would disappear. No state funding would be available to fill the gap.
If passed, these bills will have a devastating long-term impact on counties across the state. I am all for taking care of our veterans and elderly regarding property taxes, but such a sweeping and significant cut on all property taxes is not sustainable. This will lead to increased response times from public safety resources and decreased staffing across all government sectors, including schools. When considering changes in property taxation, every effort should be taken to ensure it is balanced and thoughtful over the years to provide local resources that can maintain acceptable service levels before making any additional changes.