Proposition 1 — Beyond the Numbers: What Wyoming Voters Need to Know

For many older Wyomingites, owning a home is about more than having a place to live. It’s where they’ve raised families, built memories and put down roots. But for many older homeowners, especially those with low to moderate incomes, high property taxes can threaten their ability to remain in the communities they love, and the stability and sense of security that homeownership brings.

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Property taxes are unique in Wyoming. Unlike a lot of other state taxes, your property taxes fund services in your local community, including schools, the neighborhood fire station, equipment for law enforcement, snow removal, your local library, and senior centers. And because property taxes stay closest to home, your elected leaders — county commissioners and city councilors — make decisions about how those dollars are spent.

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Wyomingites need targeted property tax relief — not a one size-fits-all approach. That’s why AARP is urging all older homeowners to carefully consider the potential consequences of Proposition 1 before they cast their votes this November.

This November’s election ballot includes Proposition 1, promising a 50% property tax reduction. This reduction could impact the very services many homeowners rely on.

Today, older Wyomingites benefit from the Long-Term Homeowner’s Exemption, which provides a 50% property tax reduction on home and land to qualifying homeowners who are 65 and older, and who have paid property taxes for 25 years. Proposition 1 only applies to “the assessed value of the dwelling” and states “...no more than one exemption shall apply to a single property or be claimed by a single owner per year.”

What does that mean in practice? Proposition 1 could instead increase property taxes for many older Wyomingites who currently qualify for the Long-Term Homeowners Exemption.

If Proposition 1 passes and an older homeowner applies for the new 50% reduction, they would receive a 50% property tax cut only on their home, not their land, because they can only apply one exemption to their home each year. This could create confusion for older homeowners and result in increases in property taxes for some.

Older Wyomingites have worked hard to build their lives and homes here. They deserve property tax relief that provides financial security, not unintended consequences that could make it harder to stay in the communities they love.

As you make your voting plan for November 3, make time to see the details on Wyoming’s Proposition 1, here.