WYOMING — House bill 51 covering local government funding is set to have its third and final reading today. Wyoming’s seven major mineral counties will likely receive the biggest funding hit from the bill.
HB-51 has been one of the important bills of this legislative session because of a reduction of available funds in the state. The third reading was set for Friday but was delayed until Monday, Feb. 29.
Senator Stan Cooper, R-Lincoln/Sublette/Sweetwater/Uinta, who represents 10 different Wyoming towns said, “No matter how the pie is sliced, half of the communities I represent lose funding and half gain funding. Three of the four counties I represent lose funding and one of them gains funding. We’ve tried to amend the bill a number of times, but to no avail.”
Senator Cooper also said Wyoming’s seven major mineral counties are generally hit the hardest when the funding formulas are applied. This occurs because the legislative votes of the other 16 counties outweigh the votes of the seven counties with major mineral operations.
