The Impacts of Property Tax Relief, One Year Later

CHEYENNE – After two years of debate and passage of multiple bills offering Wyoming residents property tax relief, AARP Wyoming’s Government Relations Team (GRT) volunteers will host a meeting looking at the impacts of this legislation at noon on Thursday, Sept. 18.

The meeting will be open to AARP members in-person at AARP Wyoming’s State Office in Cheyenne and available to others via Zoom. Register for the Zoom by clicking here (use security code 073814 if prompted). A link will then be sent to you before the event. There is no need to be an AARP member or over age 50 to listen in.

“At the beginning of the interim we asked our Government Relations Volunteers what they wanted to learn about before the 2026 Session and the subject of impacts of property tax relief on our cities, towns, and counties was a common request,” says AARP Wyoming Associate State Director Tom Lacock. “We look forward to educating ourselves on this topic ahead of the 2026 session."

About Thursday’s Meeting
Hank Hoversland of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association will start the meeting by providing data from the Wyoming Revenue Department on property tax relief efforts, their usage, and financial impacts to the state as well as localities. Hoversland will also touch on some of the proposals being considered by the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee during its November meeting in Cheyenne.

Hoversland joined the Wyoming Taxpayers Association last year after serving the Legislative Service Office as a Fiscal Analyst, where he conducted research on behalf of legislators and assisted in revenue forecasting, among numerous other duties. He holds bachelor’s in economics and political science from the University of Wyoming.

Hoversland will then hand the mic over the Jerimiah Rieman who heads of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association. He will discuss impacts of changes to property tax collections in Wyoming and a look at the future of service delivery in the counties. Rieman serves as Wyoming County Commissioners Association’s Executive Director, representing the state’s county commissioners before the Wyoming State Legislature as well as with other state agencies on local governments in Wyoming.

Ashley Harpstreith will close out the meeting offering the perspective of the state’s cities, towns. Harpstreith is the Executive Director for the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) which serves all of Wyoming’s 99 municipalities. As a 501c4 private, nonprofit association, WAM plays a pivotal role in providing vital educational resources that enhance the capabilities of local leaders.

About Property Tax Relief in Wyoming
Here is a short overview of the major property tax relief programs available to property owners in Wyoming.

Property Tax Exemption for Long-Term Homeowners
If you apply for the Property Tax Exemption for Long-Term Homeowners program through your local assessor, you can receive 50% off your property taxes in 2025 and 2026. You must be 65 and older and have paid residential property tax in Wyoming for 25 years or more. If you use this program you can apply for the Property Tax Refund Program but will not benefit from Senate File 69 (see below).

What If You Haven't Paid Property Tax For 25 Years in Wyoming?
If you haven’t hit those markers to apply for the Long-Term Homeowners Exemption discussed above, Senate File 69 was signed into law by the Governor this spring. It provides a 25% break on your property tax for the first $1 million of your home’s value. As of right now, the Exemption for Long-Term Homeowners is only available for 2025 and 2026. If that program is allowed to sunset or go away, those who took the Long-Term Homeowners exemption would then benefit from Senate File 69’s relief.

Property Tax Refund Program 
One potential casualty of the Senate’s decision not to pass a budget was the $10.5 million that was in the Governor’s budget for the Property Tax Refund Program. Luckily, the Senate was able to amend House Bill 279 (a bill telling the Department of Revenue how to apply multiple percentages of tax relief), to include the $10.5 million for the Property Tax Refund program. The Property Tax Refund program received an appropriation of $20 million last year that was supposed to get it through 2026. However, $14.3 million has already been used this year.

Next Steps in the Property Tax Discussion
The Wyoming Legislature’s Revenue Committee has a host of other property tax measures to be considered during its November meeting in Cheyenne. The committee is hoping to receive public comment on the issue. Click here to see a list of the bills that were discussed during the committee’s last meeting to be voted on in November.

By statute, the state does not receive any property tax revenue with 68% of property tax serving education in Wyoming, the next 18% going to county governments, and the rest to cities and towns as well as entities such as community college districts, senior services districts, and other special districts.

About the GRT
AARP Wyoming’s GRT meetings are held in-person in Cheyenne each month, but do have online availability, and can be joined anywhere in Wyoming. There is no cost to join. The GRT has taken a deep dive into a number of subjects this legislative interim including the state’s difficulty in recruiting health care providers, gaming, retail theft, the rising cost of homeowners insurance, and more. To join the GRT, simply email Tom Lacock at tlacock@aarp.org.