Amendment A can only be one piece of a much bigger puzzle if we want to really solve the issue with property taxes across the state.

The Constitutional Amendment, which passed with 54% of the vote in Park County and across the state, separates residential property into its own category for taxing purposes. At best, it’s a way to lower residential property taxes slightly — state rules only allow it to go so much lower than what industrial properties are taxed at.

The amendment could also allow, as many people opposed have feared, a future Legislature to raise commercial rates and provide more revenue without the incredibly unpopular step of actually increasing property taxes on residences.

My hope is that it doesn’t distract the Legislature this session from the higher aim of reducing property taxes to previous levels, such as 2020, or of what was considered last session, an abolishment of property tax for homeowners altogether.

This is set to be a very conservative state Legislature, so it ought to be fertile ground for continued consideration of measures to reduce or eliminate a tax on something you already own.

I wrote last legislative session about a proposal by Rep. Steve Harshman (R-Casper) that would’ve eliminated property taxes for all homeowners with under $2 million worth of property, balanced out by a 2% increase in the sales tax.

While legislators poked holes in the legislation and it definitely would be helped by some finessing, I thought a proposal like that would check all the boxes: Eliminate property taxes for most Wyomingites while still making sure the government is adequately funded.

Of course, there’s the argument to be made, as Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody) and others have, to wipe away property taxes to a large degree without adding replacement revenue. Wyoming is blessed with a large reserve account, second only to Alaska, and unlike that state does not return money to the taxpayers as Alaska does with its mineral wealth. Still, local governments do need funds, so I for one would welcome a proposal that replaces at least some of the revenue if property taxes are wiped out.

Regardless, Amendment A can help in reducing, or at least reducing the rise, of property taxes, as measures in the last session have also worked toward. But let’s not forget the possibility of the ultimate prize: getting rid of an unfair tax.