ROCK SPRINGS — The Western Wyoming College Board of Trustees will consider a resolution regarding the potential fiscal impact of a property tax initiative that will appear on the upcoming November General Election ballot.
The resolution focuses on Initiative 1, which will ask Wyoming voters if they support a 50% exemption on a primary residence’s assessed value. The initiative would further define a primary residence as a house, mobile home, trailer house, transportable home or other dwelling.
Recent moves by the Wyoming Legislature have created a number of property tax exemptions that have already impacted funding provided through property taxes. Many special tax districts utilize revenue from property taxes to operate, including Western. Western recently initiated a round of layoffs and killed its women’s volleyball program to contend with declining revenues, which include impacts from prior property tax legislation.
The resolution’s language states further property tax reductions without backfill from the legislature could compound the fiscal impact on the college. The resolution states that impact would “significantly limit Western Wyoming College’s ability to maintain existing programs and services, meet emerging workforce demands, and provide the educational opportunities which residents and employers throughout the region demand.”
The resolution says the college board will provide factual information to voters and policymakers regarding the potential impacts Initiative 1 would have on the college.
The board will also consider adopting an early retirement plan. According to board documents, the Administrative Service Office determines if the college’s Voluntary Early Retirement Benefit can be offered and makes a recommendation to the board for its approval every September. If approved, the service office notifies eligible employees. This year, the recommendation would see the college pay $7,074 annually for the insurance benefit. If the board approves the recommendation, eligible employees have a deadline of Nov. 1 to submit their application, with the board considering the applications no later than the December board meeting.
The board of trustees will meet at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in Room 3060, located on the third floor of Western’s Rock Springs campus. The meeting is open to the public, with a Zoom link being provided on the college’s website the day of the meeting. An agenda can be found here.
