Dear editor:

“There you go again” was a phrase spoken during the second presidential debate of 1980 by Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan to his Democratic opponent, incumbent President Jimmy Carter. This phrase comes to mind when addressing Scott Weber’s comments on the lodging tax. Once again Mr. Weber has misrepresented the facts concerning the use of lodging tax dollars for projects that he supports.

The following language is from the Senate File 0169 that passed in 2023. This legislation created the Wyoming Shooting Complex Taskforce. In part it reads:

ORIGINAL SENATE ENGROSSED

FILE NO. SF0169

ENROLLED ACT NO. 72, SENATE

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2023 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to the administration of government; creating the state shooting complex development and oversight task force; providing duties of the task force; requiring reports; creating the state shooting complex account; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Section 3.

(a) There is appropriated the following amounts from any unexpended, unobligated funds in the following accounts to the state shooting complex account, which is hereby created:

(i) Five million dollars ($5,000,000.00) from the general fund to the state shooting complex account;

(ii) Two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000.00) from the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account;

(iii) Two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000.00) may be allocated from the Game and Fish fund upon approval from the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.

As you can see, $2.5 million of the funding came from the Wyoming Tourism reserve and projects account. This account is funded with lodging tax dollars. There was no funding from the Wyoming Business Council as Mr. Weber stated.

Please join me in supporting our community by voting YES on the lodging tax.

Sandy Newsome

Cody