CODY, Wyo. (AP) - Commissioners in a Wyoming County have expressed support for a 1% general sales tax on the November 2020 ballot, officials said.
Members of the Park County Commissioners said a vote approving the proposal would help reduce a $1.9 million county deficit, The Cody Enterprise reported on Monday.
The tax could bring in more than $3 million annually for the Park County government, officials said.
The county deficit could be as much as $2.3 million for 2021, when a 2% cost of living adjustment on employee gross wages could be implemented, officials said.
Commissioner Lloyd Thiel and other members expressed a belief that if a tax does not pass, county staff and services will be cut.
“I will not support (pulling from reserves) a deficit next year,” Thiel said.
Wyoming county voters have the option to vote on taxes every two or four years, with the possibility of reauthorizing taxes on two- or four-year cycles.
Park and Sublette are the only two Wyoming counties that do not have a “fifth cent” general purpose tax.
The fifth cent tax refers to the extra penny Wyoming counties can collect on every dollar spent in their jurisdictions if they add a 1% tax to the state’s 4% sales tax with the permission of voters.
All the Park County commissioners voiced support for the fifth cent concept, but Commissioner Lee Livingston said he would only vote for the tax if it was clear the money would be put into reserves.
Park County assessor Pat Meyer was critical of how much money the county is keeping in reserves. The commissioners used $1.3 million from reserves to cover a deficit in July, but more than $14 million still exists in the account.
“Every document I have says you should have no more than six months in reserves, which we have more than that now,” Meyer said. “Most people will have three months in there.”
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