Good news!

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Weston County entities will reap the benefits of increased valuation for 2019. The county’s 2019 valuation is up by roughly $9 million, according to County Assessor Tina Conklin. 
The state-assessed value includes railroads, oil and natural gas production, electric companies, cellular companies, cable/satellite companies, rural telecommunications, liquid pipeline, bentonite and sand/gravel. Their valuation is up $7 million, Conklin said. 
Local assessed value, including the Weston County Refinery, Upton Logistical Park and the newly completed Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center, is up $2 million, Conklin said. 
The total state-assessed valuation for the county was $70,825,124 in 2018. But the good news is that the 2019 number is $77,525,771, according to Conklin. Local-assessed valuation in 2019 totals $71,999,586, up from $71,949,578 in 2018, she said. 
Total county assessed valuation for 2019 is $151,525,357, Conklin said. 
Newcastle’s total assessed valuation is $20,993,963, Upton’s total assessed valuation is $7,748,382, Weston County School District No. 1’s total assessed valuation is $111,667,789, and Weston County School District No. 7’s total assessed valuation is $39,857,568. 
But what does this mean for Weston County?
According to Conklin, the increase means more money for local entities. The mills collected for each of these entities won’t change, she said, but the amount they receive will increase with the increase in valuation. 
Districts and entities that benefit from the increase in valuation include both Weston County school districts; the municipalities of Upton and Newcastle; the natural resource, hospital and museum districts; both solid waste districts; the fire district; and Weston County Weed and Pest. 
Conklin and her office’s duty by statute, according to her page on the county website, is to annually locate, identify and value all taxable property in their jurisdiction as mandated by Wyoming Statues as of January 1 of each year. 
Conklin values the properties within the county according to guidelines from Wyoming statutes and the Wyoming Department of Revenue. 
The information compiled by Conklin along with information compiled by the state comes together to create the county valuation, a estimate of the worth of Weston County. 
Residential property tax, according to the Wyoming Property Tax Division website, is based upon the market value of the property, reflecting the worth of the property as of Jan. 1 of each year. 
“All commercial and industrial structures and land are valued as real property. All commercial and industrial machinery, equipment, furnishings, tools, aircraft, watercraft and supplies not held for resale are valued as personal property,” according to the website. 
Commercial property, according to the tax division website, is assessed at 9.5% of market value and industrial property is assessed at 11.5% of market value. Residential property is also assessed at 9.5% of market value.