Dear editor:
I want to sincerely congratulate Uinta County on SOUNDLY defeating the latest attempt at progressives attempting to take our money.
During a special election this past Tuesday, Uinta County defeated a proposition to raise their taxes by a 2:1 margin.
I wanted to use this letter as an opportunity to further explain to people why this was a good decision by the victors.
Uinta County saw their county revenue (sales taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, motor vehicle taxes, federal grants, etc.)) go up 41% from 2019-2024.
Uinta brought in $21.9m in county revenue in 2019. Uinta brought in $30.8m in county revenue in 2024. 41% increase.
How many of you have seen your household income go up 41% over the last 6 years? Yet, Uinta County saw their county revenue go up 41%.
According to Wyoming’s Department of Audit, from 2019-2024, Uinta brought in $159.9m in county revenue. But Uinta only spent $128.2m in county expenditures.
Which means Uinta increased the cash reserves on its county balance sheet by $31.7m.
$31.7m in additional cash reserves added to Uinta County’s balance sheet over the last 6 years for a county with a population of 20,450 equals approximately $6,200 for a family of four.
In other words, Uinta’s ‘families of four’ each contributed about $6,200 of their household income to Uinta’s own balance sheet from 2019-2024.
How many of those Uinta families of four would rather have that $6,200 back in their own savings accounts rather than in Uinta County’s cash reserves.
Did you know? Wyoming’s 23 counties (according to the Wyoming Department of Audit) have stashed away $2.5 BILLION into their own cash reserve accounts. $2.5 BILLION on a population of 577,000 equals $17,335 for each Wyoming family of four. How many Wyomingites wished they had $17,335 in their own savings accounts rather than transferred into the cash reserve accounts of the 23 counties?
If Uinta’s tax and spend establishment needed $40m for its new recreation center, why did they just not use the $31.7m of excess revenue they collected from 2019-2024? Why did they think they needed to tax their citizens even more?
If there is one important lesson we did learn this past week from New York City, it is that people are tired of giving away their money - people do not have enough money to live on - people feel stretched financially - they are tired of giving away ‘pennies’ - real people have to decide if they want a recreation center via tax revenues vs. enough money for their own mortgage/rent, car payments, health insurance, increasing electricity costs, etc.
$40m in new taxes on a population of 20,450 means Uinta families of four had to decide if they wanted to keep $7,800 of their own money for their own budgets or give that $7,800 in money to the government for it to decide how to use it.
Fortunately, Uinta County voters realized they would rather keep $7,800 of the money they earn in their own savings accounts rather than giving that $7,800 to government officials.
Well done Uinta County!
Chris Williams
