Lindholm, Hunt vow to fight for direct distribution funds

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
During a Jan. 7 meeting with the Weston County Board of Commissioners, Reps. Tyler Lindholm, R-Sundance, and Hans Hunt, R-Newcastle, assured the commissioners that they would fight tooth and nail if a potential cut – from $105 million to $75 million – to the direct distribution money from the state made it to the Wyoming House floor. 
Direct distribution funds have been provided to local governments by the state since the Wyoming Legislature got rid of the grocery tax. These funds are allocated by the Office of State Lands and Investments to cities and towns throughout the state. 
“There is talk of the governor reducing the direct distribution, resulting in it being one-third of what it was,” Commissioner Marty Ertman said. “For us tiny counties, that is too big of a chunk.” 
According to Ertman, of the current $105 million allocation, Weston County receives about $890,000. Reducing the total funds to $75 million, a 30% cut, would mean that the county would lose about $300,000.
Both Lindholm and Hunt acknowledged that this proposed decrease in the funds was news to them. That kind of drastic reduction could not happen, they said, especially because direct distribution amounts have been cut enough over the last few years. 
 “I will fight that on the floor. I tried to raise it (direct distribution funds) last year, and I will fight like hell to have it stay at $105 million,” Lindholm said. “It should be higher.” 
The state has a “responsibility to make up for” the removal of the grocery tax, he said. According to Lindholm, he has previously supported allowing cities and counties to implement their own grocery tax to help increase revenue. 
County Clerk Becky Hadlock told the News Letter Journal at a later date that concerns over a potential decrease in direct distribution funds were sparked when she received an email from the Upton town clerk. She said that she understood that the funding amount would fluctuate and that the allotted amount would be considered every session.