By james art 
What we learned at the world’s largest outdoor rodeo
USA Today’s Wyoming political reporter Cy Neff went to Cheyenne Frontier Days to learn all things rodeo.
On Nov. 5, Wyoming voters will have to approve or reject a constitutional amendment separating residential properties into their own category for property tax assessments.
Known as Constitutional Amendment A, the measure would allow the Cowboy State Legislature to put residential property in its own property class and make owner-occupied housing its own subclass.
Wenlin Liu, administrator at the Wyoming Department of Economic Analysis, said creating a separate class would allow lawmakers to change tax rates on residential property without affecting taxes on agricultural or commercial land.
“The main goal is to create a separate residential building away from agriculture and commerce, then create a subclass under residential for the owner’s primary residence,” Liu says.
Rising costs in Wyoming account for just under half of all cost-of-living increases in the state between 2017 and 2023, according to data from the Wyoming Department of Economic Analysis. The ballot initiative was a result of the 2023 legislative session to put the amendment before voters.
While lawmakers passed four property tax relief bills in the 2024 session, Wyoming politicians cannot raise or lower taxes specifically on residential properties unless the classes are changed in the constitution.
State Rep. Liz Storer, D-Jackson, supports the amendment. Storer represents parts of Teton County, home to ultra-affluent Jackson, which boasts some of the highest property values in the country. According to Realtor.com, the median home price is $3.1 million.
Storer sees the amendment as a necessary first step toward easing the burden on homeowners. “It gives us some great tools for long-term tax policy changes that we can consider in the future that make sense and are constitutional.”
Just under three-quarters of Wyoming’s property tax revenue goes to support education, with the rest going to counties, local governments and special districts. No money goes to the state. If the amendment passes and property taxes are reduced, the lost property tax revenue will likely have to be made up elsewhere.
Liu notes that even if the amendment passes, there is no guarantee that the Legislature will act.
“They may or may not act on it,” Liu says. “The positive is relief for residents, the negative is the long-term impact on revenue.”
State Rep. Daniel Singh, R-Cheyenne, who supported putting the amendment before voters in 2023, says he’s now having second thoughts. He highlights what he sees as potential negative effects on small landlords and skepticism about giving the government more leeway with taxes.
“The question really comes down to, should the legislature have more power to tax things differently, and if you believe the legislature is going to tax you right, then go ahead and vote yes,” Singh says. “If you still don’t trust the legislature to use the tools in their belts, I wouldn’t suggest giving them another tool in their belts.”
Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews