Gillette College board passes resolution opposing property tax ballot measure

GILLETTE — The Gillette Community College District opposes the general election ballot measure that would create a 50% residential property tax exemption for qualified homeowners.

The college board passed a resolution Wednesday morning stating its opposition to the initiative “due to its harmful impact on the financial stability, local control, and long‑term viability of Wyoming’s community colleges.”

President Janell Oberlander said the impact to Gillette College, should the measure pass, would be a reduction of $670,000 per year, or close to $1.4 million over a biennium. Other community college districts would experience a much bigger decrease in funding.

Only 6.2% of Campbell County’s assessed valuation, which determines the value of a mill from year to year, comes from residential property tax. Of the eight counties that have a community college, only Sweetwater County comes close, with residential property taxes making up 10.2% of a mill. In Sheridan County, 69% of its assessed valuation comes from residential property tax.

Erin Taylor, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, spoke with the college board Wednesday about what the association is doing to educate voters on the subject. Gillette College Board President Larry Smith and board member Ellis Day are members of the association's governing board.

Property tax is the most stable source of funding for community colleges, Taylor said, and “there’s no backup plan, no promise of backfill” from the legislators, should the measure be approved. 

Board member Josh McGrath said that by limiting funding for community colleges, the legislature is, in “a roundabout way,” deciding what programs these schools offer.

“When they choose not to backfill, they erode local control…and start to hamstring what our board can do,” he said.

“This goes way beyond the community colleges,” said board member Robert Palmer, pointing out that every taxing district in the state will feel an impact, including the improvement and service districts.

Although the property tax cut looks good on paper, Palmer said, “you’re going to end up regretting it in other areas.”

He pointed out the legislature changing the funding model for K-12 education to a silo-based approach, which has caused school districts to cut programs. Lawmakers have claimed they will fix this in the future.

“The response from legislators is, we’ll take care of that next year,” he said. “That doesn’t help this year.”

Palmer worried that lawmakers will do the same thing with community colleges and other special districts.

A 25% exemption is already on the books after legislation passed in 2025. The exemption was applied automatically in its first year, but homeowners had to apply for the reduction in 2026. Only about 44% of eligible homeowners applied.

If the 50% passes, the exemptions would not add up to 75%, Taylor said. It would be closer to a 62% reduction.

“There needs to be more clarification on the legislative front, especially if the 50% passes,” she said.

This story was published on Sept. 17, 2026.