Balance tax relief with vital services

It appears increasingly likely Wyoming homeowners are going to receive some property tax relief with Senate File 69 working its way through the Wyoming State Legislature.

In its present form, SF 69 will grant 50% property tax relief on homes assessed up to $1 million, with no backfill for revenue losses to local government entities. The bill also includes a two-year sunset provision.

The Senate passed the bill last week, and now it proceeds to the House.

We don’t know what the final version of the bill will be. We do know, however, Wyoming homeowners definitely need relief from property assessments that have soared in the past few years, with taxes following suit.

But with the good news on tax relief comes some not-so-good news that services for Wyoming residents may need to be reduced because of the resulting loss of revenues.

We urge this caution for the Wyoming Legislature and those government officials responsible for budget reductions: Cut with precision. Use a scalpel, not a chainsaw.

Search out the waste and the unnecessary items and eliminate those. Don’t impose a percentage cut on all services across the board.

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution says one of the duties of the government is to “promote the general welfare.”

Governmental entities are responsible for critical services such as police protection, fire departments, hospitals and public education. Residents in some areas of the state will be affected if revenues are slashed too much and they lose their hospital. Municipal water and sewer systems are also the responsibility of governments.

In the exuberance to cut, be extremely careful.

Consider that the wildfires in Los Angeles last month might not have been as disastrous if the cuts to the LA fire departments had been done differently.

Wyoming homeowners need property tax relief. It’s likely they are going to get some. They also need the services governments are responsible for providing.

Both can be accomplished if the reductions are done thoughtfully, carefully and precisely.