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Laramie Prepares To Vote For Sixth-Penny Renewal

Projects Focus on Community Livability

AARP

Updated April 23, 2026

Street intersection with construction cones

Nancy Sindelar, AARP WY volunteer

Albany County will hold a May 5 election to determine whether to renew its Special Purpose Excise Tax (SPET), also known as the sixth penny sales tax. Voters will decide whether to tax themselves to fund specific projects across the county. This money does not go towards the general operations of government. In fact, by law, funds collected from this tax have to go to projects listed on the ballot.

This is a vote to renew the sixth-penny sales tax already in effect; if the vote passes, there won’t be a tax increase. The 6% sales tax will simply continue. Albany County voters have approved this tax six times since 1989. Once the predetermined amount of money for the selected projects is collected, the tax expires. In this case, the tax is forecast to be fully collected in 10 years.

If renewed, the sixth penny will collect around $95 million over the next 10 years, putting that cash towards a series of projects, including:

Laramie Police Headquarters Design and Construction
Laramie Animal Shelter Design and Construction
Laramie Fire Department Station 1 Design and Construction
Surface Water Drainage Projects
ADA Sidewalk/Crossing Improvements
Community Recreation Center Improvements
Bill Nye Avenue Design and Construction
Street Maintenance and Construction
Paving Harrison Street.

For more specific voter information, visit the Clerk’s Office in person at the Albany County Courthouse or give them a call at 307-721-2541. You can also find information online at https://www.albanycountywy.gov/164/Elections.

To learn more about the projects, click here. To offer comments on the projects, or the tax to AARP Wyoming, or for more information, contact Jennifer Baier at jbaier@aarp.org.