Weekend Poll: Will You Vote For Or Against Wyoming’s Proposition 1?

Wyoming voters on Election Day on November 3 will decide the fate of a proposal to cut residential property taxes by 50 percent.

It's known as Proposition 1. Do you support it?

What is Proposition 1? The proposal would create a homeowner's property tax exemption that exempts 50% of a primary residence's assessed value from property taxation. It could only be used on one property per person and would not apply to rental or business properties.

You can read Proposition 1 here.

Arguments For Proposition 1

Supporters of the proposal say residential property taxes have skyrocketed in the last few years. House District 43 Representative Ann Lucas [R-Cheyenne] tells Townsquare Media that taxes on her and her husband's home in Cheyenne, which she calls 'modest," have increased by over 70 percent since 2019. ''I've had people in my family tell me, if I have one more property tax raise, I'm going to have to get another job," she says.

''People can't afford to live in the house they have paid for," Lucas says. She says it's not just about the taxes themselves, but also a corresponding increase in Homeowners Insurance that happens when the taxes increase.

Lucas says a 25 percent property tax cut passed by lawmakers in 2025 and a four percent cap in property tax increases have helped stem the increases, but she says homeowners have still taken a big hit in recent years, threatening to force some out of their homes.

Lucas says local government spending is way out of hand, pointing to a $325 budget recently passed in Laramie County as an example. ''People this is your money, not their money," she says. Lucas and other supporters of Proposition 1 say opponents are wildly exaggerating claims that the proposal would affect things like police and fire protection.

Lucas and other supporters say local governments can easily make up the lost revenues by spending more efficiently and utilizing reserves.

Arguments Against Proposition 1

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon earlier this week issued a release warning the proposition. "The reduction by 50% would have an immediate and devastating effect on the services most Wyoming citizens rely upon in their communities"

The Governor added ''Tax reform is fundamentally different from destroying a tax base or relying on the legislature to fund essential services.

Some things are universal - safe neighborhoods depend on services such as firefighting, emergency responses, good schools, and maintained roads.  All of these are essential to Wyoming’s long term strength and vitality.  They make our communities places where families can stay, businesses can grow, and the next generation can build a future they can call home."

The website "Vote No on Prop 1" says passage of the proposal will leave ''our schools and emergency services on life support"  and says the lost revenues will have to be made up somehow. ''Like a new income tax or sales taxes."

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