News
Town Hall Attendees Want Change, Lower Property Taxes
A Town Hall meeting was held at Buffalo High School Tuesday night for organizers to discuss property and other taxes with the public and answer questions directed at them concerning legislation and other avenues that can be taken to lessen the burden on taxpayers that has skyrocketed in the last few years.
State Representative Barry Crago (HD 40) and Johnson County Commissioner Bill Novotny organized the even and invited Ashley Harpstreith, Executive Director of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association to give a brief presentation on the different taxes assessed in the state and how they are used.
A Question and Answer peiod followed her presentation, with those attending mostly voicing their displeasure at the rise in property taxes and asking for Crago and Novotny to do something to curb the increase.
A few of those that spoke had ideas and shared how they thought that could be accomplished.
One question asked of Representative Crago was why very little got accomplished during the last legislative session to help curb high property taxes.
When asked what he plans to do about property taxes during the nextsession, he said he plans to try to bring people together and work with everyone to get property tax relief and reform done for the benefit of the taxpayers in Wyoming.
After the Q&A period, Representative Crago thanked those who came, listened, and shared.
Ezra Petersen
June 28, 2023 at 10:20 pm
Bill Novotny can’t do anymore about your property taxes than your dog. These type of meetings are nothing more than a bunch of misinformed people complaining. I don’t get why so many are angry about the value of their property going up. Unless this was an exclusive meeting of the elite, most peoples house/ land is either their most or second lost valuable asset. Is it not a good thing when your assets increase in value ? If your taxes are going up it’s because it’s worth more than the last tax period. That’s what I’d sure hope would happen.
Clark Guelde
June 29, 2023 at 9:58 am
No it isn’t good for me since I’ll never realize the gain in value anyway because I need somewhere to live. Paying increased taxes on it only makes life harder.
Kristen Weber
June 29, 2023 at 6:44 pm
Your comment indicates that you think a house is an Investment that, at some point in the future, a person can cash out the gain in value.
That’s not true for most homeowners. They have a home for which paid hard earned money to purchase in order to have a place to live and raise their family. Most of us don’t care if it ever goes up in value; we care if we can hang onto it though and not have it lost because we can’t afford to pay the taxes on it.
No one wants to placate themselves with the lie that their house went up in value while they worry about how to pay taxes on it.
Ezra Petersen
June 30, 2023 at 11:05 am
You better hope it goes up in value. Or at least doesn’t go down too much. If you finance it with your hard earned money and the value drops you are making payments on something that literally is not worth it.
mark steingass
June 29, 2023 at 11:14 am
higher property taxes are a dilemma shared by many…either you change the parameters determining real estate valuations, move to a different location with a lower real estate valuation or find ways to supplement your own income…not easy