At the bottom of your 2024 Wyoming General Election ballot, you’ll find “Constitutional Amendment A,” a proposition involving property taxes. The terse description of the item will read, “The adoption of this amendment would separate residential real property into its own class of property for purposes of property tax assessments. The amendment would authorize the legislature to create a subclass of owner occupied primary residences.”
Opinion
OK. Clear as mud. What does this amendment do, and what are its implications? Should you vote for it?
To understand the amendment, you must first understand the way things are now. Currently, property that’s subject to taxation in Wyoming is divided into three classes: mine and mineral products that are extracted from the ground, property used for industrial purposes, and all other real and personal property. Therefore, your house, a ranch, a farm, and an apartment building are all taxed at the same percentage of their value.
During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers wanted to give a special tax break to owners of single-family homes. But Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed the bill, stating that the tax break was unfair, was not means-tested and violated the Wyoming Constitution because it taxed properties in the same class differently…