County Assessor Gives Revenue Loss Numbers to Commissioners

APRIL 2, 2025 |

Photo – Generic property tax image – Bigfoot99 file photo

The Carbon County government is expected to lose approximately $410,000 because of tax relief legislation passed by the state legislature earlier this year.

Following a significant rise in home values driven by COVID-related migration into the Cowboy State, the Wyoming legislature created several property tax relief measures. Carbon County officials have expressed concerns that the state’s efforts may be shortsighted, warning that reduced property tax revenue may force the county to scale back or eliminate services, such as road maintenance.

During Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, County Assessor Renee Snider presented estimates on the financial impact of the state’s various tax relief programs.

House Bill 45, passed during last year’s legislative session, established a four percent cap on how much the assessed value of a residential property may annually increase. Assessor Snider explained that beginning this year, the four percent cap also applies to 35 acres of land associated with the residential property.

Under the expanded tax relief program, the county government is set to lose approximately $22,000 with no compensation from the state.

Walking commissioners through the process, Assessor Snider discussed the impact of House Bill Three, which established a property tax exemption for long-term homeowners. Under the exemption, homeowners 65 years or older who have paid taxes in Wyoming for at least 25 years may apply for a 50% reduction in their property tax bill.

Assessor Snider said she has already processed 578 applications for the long-term homeowner tax exemption program this year. Based on those figures, Snider projected that the program will cost the county more than $210,000 overall and result in an estimated loss of approximately $36,000 to the county government.

Applications for the long-term homeowner tax exemption credit must be submitted by the end of May. Assessor Snider said the number of applications is likely to increase by that time, resulting in a larger loss of property tax revenue for the county.

The state has agreed to reimburse counties for 50% of the revenue lost through the long-term homeowner property tax exemption.

Moving on, Assessor Snider said Senate File 69 is likely to have the most significant impact on the county’s budget. The bill, which was signed into law earlier this month, created a 25% property tax reduction for all Wyoming homeowners, capped at $1 million of the assessed value of the residential home and associated land.

For the 2025 tax season, Senate File 69 does not limit the number of residential homes that an owner can claim for property tax relief. Snider said beginning in the 2026 tax season, homeowners must live in the property for at least eight months of the year to qualify for the tax credit. It remains unclear how the state plans to enforce this requirement.

Assessor Snider said the 25% property tax cut will cost the county government over $350,000 dollars. Like the four percent property tax cap, the state has not allocated any money to help counties offset the lost tax revenue.

Assessor Snider said that, due to the three separate property tax relief programs, the county is expected to lose approximately $410,000 this year. However, Snider said that amount may increase as she approves additional long-term homeowner tax exemption applications.

Commissioner Sue Jones criticized the state’s approach to addressing property tax issues. Commissioner Jones acknowledged that some individuals genuinely need property tax relief but said providing that relief should be the responsibility of individual counties rather than a one-size-fits-all solution imposed by the state.

Both, Assessor Snider and Commissioner Jones, agreed the state’s property tax relief programs are likely to have unintended negative consequences for local governments and, as Commissioner Jones has mentioned, may be unconstitutional.