Wyoming's Proposition 1 proposes a 50% property tax exemption

Wyoming House District 43 Rep. Ann Lucas says what people need to remember about Wyoming's Proposition 1 is that the money paid in property taxes is your money, not the government's.

In addition to serving in the Wyoming Legislature, Lucas, who is a Republican, has been a strong proponent of Proposition 1, including collecting signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

Wyoming voters will decide the fate of Proposition 1 on election day, Nov. 3. Lucas appeared on the ''Weekend In Wyoming" Program this past weekend. You can hear that interview in the audio file attached to this article

What Would Proposition 1 Do?

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.

The tax cut would only apply to the actual home, not the land around it.

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.

She and other supporters say people are being forced out of their homes by the taxes. Some reports say the taxes have increased by roughly 70 percent since 2019.

Opponents Say Wyoming Would Be Devastated By Proposition 1

Needless to say, opponents of the ballot initiative take a very different view. Governor Mark Gordon, for example, says the state would be "devastated." He says basic public safety items like police and fire protection would be gutted, as would funding for schools. About 70 percent of the money raised by Wyoming property taxes goes to local schools.

You can read more about Gordon's recent comments on Prop 1 here.