Dear editor:
On the ballot this fall is Proposition One creating a 50 percent homestead exemption on the assessed value of Primary Wyoming residences.
In 2017, my wife and I purchased property in Wyoming, consolidated our life’s work, and hand-built the homestead where we plan to live out the rest of our lives.
Part of our reason for selecting Wyoming was the freedoms enjoyed here. The possibility of losing one’s home and property due to inability to pay taxes infringes on freedom and real home ownership.
In a recent Cowboy State Daily column, Fred Harrison, who supports Proposition One, wrote that from 2021 to 2023, Wyoming’s total property tax collections surged $912 million (71 %) in two years due to inflation. How was this extra money disbursed?
Columnist Gail Symons, who opposes Proposition One, reminded us in her Cowboy State Daily columns of recent legislative action capping property tax increases at 4% with a 25% exemption on primary residences.
My increased assessments offset these measures and my taxes still increased from 2022 to 2025.
Ms. Symons and others have rung the alarm on cuts to important local services if Proposition One passes. These concerns could manifest only if no other budget cuts or other tax revenue source adjustments are made.
Mr. Harrison noted specifics of how Wyoming county governments kept the 2021-2023 tax windfall and it was concerning.
His facts were revealing of government funding structure, the appropriations process, and why, by design, government grows and never shrinks.
Government and school agencies and sub-agencies are all vying for a piece of the tax pie and generally do so by justifying their need for more funds to their respective authorities as persuasively as possible.
Accountability
We can address budget issues and the “we can’t afford the cuts” response to Proposition One by requiring a comprehensive “Elon Musk” type audit of county and school expenditures state-wide.
Such audit should extend beyond counting the beans and where they went to address two primary questions of every government/school program and expense:
1. Does this activity/expense fall within the proper role of government? Is it really necessary or just a nicety to ensure all budgeted funds are spent? Could it be handled by volunteer organizations, parents, or those willing to donate their time? Civic or neighborhood-based alternatives save money and build community spirit.
2. If the activity passes the test in #1, is it being performed as efficiently and economically as possible with only necessary resources? (The Elon Musk part)
Does executing a Proposition One tax cut before a comprehensive audit put the cart before the horse? I say “no”.
Property taxes are too high.
Cutting property taxes first incentivizes our government officials to trim fat from previous government growth and find solutions to funding important services through other means if necessary.
Passing Proposition One puts the taxpayer in charge while setting in motion actions that require fiscal discretion and accountability and reassure taxpayers of prudence in government spending.
Sincerely,
Gary Graff, Atlantic City
