In the state of Wyoming, where there is no personal nor corporate income tax, property taxes do some heavy lifting where state revenue is concerned. Until last year, state property tax fell into just three categories: one for minerals, oil, and gas; one for industrial property; and one for everything else. ‘Everything else’ included commercial, agricultural, and residential property. For decades, Wyoming REALTORS® held the position that residential property should be a stand-alone tax category; in 2023, this finally got some traction in the legislature. With help from the REALTOR® Party, the REALTORS® led an energetic campaign to support the creation of a fourth property tax category.
Government Affairs Director Laurie Urbigkit reports that while it always made sense for residential property tax to be its own category, it became an urgent necessity in the wake of the COVID pandemic. “People flocked here, buying homes sight-unseen, with cash. Property values soared, in some cases 200%-300%, and property taxes skyrocketed right along with them. Because of the existing tax structure, giving Grandma a tax cut would mean giving Walmart a tax cut: the classifications were inseparable under state law. Our goal, for years, has been to separate them to protect homeowners.”
After years of REALTOR® advocacy, a bill was passed in the 2023 legislative session to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot the following year. “It would add a fourth tier to our property classifications,” explains Urbigkit. “It would place residential in a separate category from commercial and agriculture, thereby allowing the legislature to lower the tax rate on residential and/or to place a cap on the amount of increases.” The proposed constitutional amendment also contained a provision enabling the legislature to create a sub-tier for owner-occupied properties.
The REALTORS® worked with the Speaker of the House to keep the language of the measure short and clear, as NAR polling had found that the amendment was well positioned to win approval, but voters needed to learn more and have a better understanding of what it would do. With this in mind, and with support from an Issues Mobilization grant from the REALTOR® Party, Wyoming REALTORS® launched a campaign to educate the voting public. It featured multiple direct mail pieces, billboards, a website, social media, and digital ads. “NAR’s program made this so simple for us,” says Urbigkit. “It connected with outstanding vendors, the turn-around times were amazing, it was all great. I simply can’t express our gratitude enough.” For her part, Urbigkit undertook an extensive speaking tour – “Anywhere they’d have me! Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, all the local REALTOR® boards – well over 25 venues. I covered a lot of miles.”
As predicted by the polling and boosted by the state-wide education campaign, the constitutional amendment passed, and Wyoming’s fourth tax tier for residential property went into effect immediately.
Says Urbigkit, “These REALTOR® Party programs aren’t just for big states: Wyoming has the smallest state REALTOR® association in the country, and I am a staff of one. Without the resources we can access through NAR, we could not have accomplished this. It takes a little fortitude, but if we can do it, you can do it!”
To learn more about how Wyoming REALTORS® has been working to protect the state’s homeowners, contact Government Affairs Director Laurie Urbigkit at lurbigkit@gmail.com or 307.851.1191.
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