Dear editor:

On your ballot now and up to Nov. 3 are two very important issues upon which to ponder and vote. One is very, very good. One is very, very bad.

Good first. Statewide will be a citizen’s initiative (spearheaded by Cody’s Brent Bien) — Proposition 1 — that will allow you to get a 50% reduction in property tax on your principal residence. Good timing seeing as 40% of Wyoming folks are on fixed incomes and groceries and gas and diesel and meds are at all-time highs. And don’t feel sorry for the “Chicken Little” county commissioners of our 23 counties, schools and municipalities because they have nearly $2 BILLION in reserves (for example Natrona County has $239 million and Park County $14.7). 

That’s YOUR tax money sitting in reserves — some of it since the 1990’s and is the very example of over taxation. We aim to stop it in its tracks with Proposition One. Vote YES.

Bad second. On the Park County ballot is a request to raise county sales tax by 25%. As always (last time it was voted down 61% to 39%) that is a very, very bad idea. The request is rooted in a tax scheme we all remember well. The proposed tax request was originally going to be ONLY for the Powell Senior Center until officials realized it would never fly countywide, so they asked Cody what “project” they could include. Cody came up with the renovation of the old auditorium on Beck. Meeteetse came up with a project with their museum. The plan being every municipality had “skin in the game.” 

Problem was this: The ticker for the three “projects” zoomed to $19.7 million. This couldn’t come at a worse time given groceries prices, gasoline, meds and diesel at all-time highs. Many, many good folks in Park County are — like nearly half of the entire state — on fixed incomes. 

If an escalation of the county sales tax is enacted, it will hurt area vendors because everyone in Cody will drive an hour to Montana where there is NO sales tax whatsoever on all goods. I’ve done it, you’ve done it.  

And look at the facts that make fixing up the old auditorium insane: RIGHT NOW, construction is progressing on a $10 million events center at the new Wyoming State Shooting Complex less than 10 minutes from the center of Cody with a huge banquet hall capable of seating more than 500 and includes a modern commercial kitchen. Why duplication? 

YES on Proposition One. Hard NO on Park County’s 25% raise in sales tax. It’s just simple logic.

Scott Weber

Wapiti