Laramie County conservation tax vote total closer than usual
CHEYENNE — Voters once again approved a tax that funds the Laramie County Conservation District in this year's general election, but vote totals shows approval may not always be a foregone conclusion.
The tax has been approved by voters every four years since 1946. However, this year was the closest it has come to failing since at least 2000.
That year, the tax passed with 66.8% of voters in favor of the tax and has continued to pass with an average approval of 62.4% every four years since. This year, however, only 54.3% of voters were in support of the tax.
The tax uses a portion of all property tax in Laramie County, one half-mill, to support the soil and water conservation programs directed by the Laramie County Conservation District (LCCD).
Having passed so comfortably every time, it is unclear why the support was so much lower this year. There was nothing substantially different about this year's election, as voter turnout was about as expected for a presidential year and slightly lower than in 2020, which had over 45,000 cards cast, and the ballot language has remained the same every time.
The only difference this year was the record number of early voter ballots cast, with over half of registered voters submitting their votes by Oct. 31 this year.
LCCD financial coordinator Kathy Cooney said she and her team were surprised by how close the result was, and they're unsure why, as they typically receive little public feedback on the ballot item before Election Day. She speculated it may be a result of the general public's attitude toward the economy.
"Nobody wants any more taxes, and we totally get that," she said. "... We don't know from the public. We haven't heard anything, but that's kind of what we're guessing right now as to why there was some resistance there."
On the ballot, voters had the option to select either "FOR THE TAX" or "AGAINST THE TAX."
Unofficial results showed 22,614 votes in favor of the tax and 18,998 against, for a total of 41,612. The overall number of ballots cast in Laramie County was 43,583, which means 1,971 people didn't vote on the conservation tax question.
LCCD is one of 34 conservation districts in Wyoming and is managed by a board of five locally elected supervisors who serve as volunteers. Three of those supervisors were on the ballot this year.
Casey Epler and Kevin Wells are currently serving on the board and were reelected to represent the LCCD at-large and rural districts, respectively.
Scott Cherek is a new board member who will represent the urban district after besting J.C. Manalo by a little over 3,000 votes.
Cherek replaces Tom Farrell, who has served on the board for 27 years.
The funds LCCD gets from property taxes are primarily used to seek larger fund-matching grants. Last year, the conservation district received $1.3 million in taxes and used around 70% of it to seek grants. The LCCD was able to secure an additional $3.4 million in grant funds using those taxpayer dollars.
For a home valued at $100,000 in the city of Cheyenne, $4.75 of the annual property taxes go to the conservation district's budget. The tax will remain at one half-mill for the next four years and will be on the ballot again in the 2028 general election.
Wyoming voters also approved Constitutional Amendment A with around 59% votes in favor. This gives the Legislature the authority to change residential property taxes without adjusting commercial property taxes, if they choose to do so.
As the LCCD relies on funds from county property taxes, Cooney said their funds could be impacted if the county's revenue from property taxes decreases as a result of changes the Legislature may impose as a result of the constitutional amendment passing.
Additionally, its budget may decrease next year after the Wyoming Legislature approved property tax exemptions for qualified long-term homeowners.
As of Thursday, 2,874 Laramie County homeowners have applied for and been accepted into the tax exemption program. Laramie County Assessor Todd Ernst estimates that number could rise to between 3,000 and 4,000, and he said it will likely impact the budget of government entities that rely on property taxes, though he said it is too early to tell to what extent they will be impacted.
It remains unclear how the constitutional amendment will be implemented across the state and by county, and whether the state will backfill the lost revenue for counties and municipalities.
