JACKSON, Wyo. — The Teton County Board of County Commissioners is considering adding an additional mill to the County’s mill levy, used to calculate property taxes, to backstop a $3.8 million budget deficit.
The Commission has until June 24 to adopt the county budget ahead of the July 1 fiscal year start, and until Aug. 4 to finalize the mill levy. Over the past few weeks, the Commission has cut county department budgets, which were already submitted at flat or reduced. Last year, the Town and County agreed to change the joint department split from 45% county, 55% town to 43% county, 57% town, adding nearly $800,000 to the County’s budget.
According to a press release issued by the County, the deficit stems from a property tax revenue shortfall due to reductions implemented by the state legislature, namely the Homeowner’s Property Tax Exemption program, a 25% cut to the first $1 million of a property’s fair market value.
Commissioner Luther Propst commented on the state relief program, calling the legislature’s handling sub-optimal.
“They had a way that could have really worked to help people that lived here year-around, or lived here as their primary residence, have a lower tax rate than people who are second homeowners, they chose not to pursue that,” Propst said. “There are a variety of mechanisms, some that are constitutionally suspect, so we are having to make a decision in the context of a deeply sub-optimal legislative package that confronts us.”
The mill levy would be increased by one mill, adjusted from 6.878 to 7.879 generating $3.8 million. One mill is equivalent to $1 a taxpayer must pay for every $1,000 of assessed value. In Teton County, the current mill levy is 55.599 mills. Of that, Teton County collects 6.879 mills of revenue. Currently, the level of assessment is 9.5% for residential, agricultural and all other property, and 11.5% for industrial properties. Teton County has lowered or kept the mill levy flat since 2019.
While no decision needed to be made, the majority of councilors reluctantly supported raising the mill levy and doing away with the County’s property tax relief program.
“Reduce, reduce, reduce, that is all that we have been doing for the past two weeks,” Commissioner Wes Gardner said.
“History has shown that it is not unusual for us to have to adjust the mill,” Commissioner Len Carlman said. “Downward when we can, upward when we must, and it seems to me we are in a place where it is ‘upward we must.’”
A caveat to increasing the mill was floated at the meeting, the possibility of the County getting $4.5 million it budgeted to extend the multi-use pathway on the west side of Teton Pass, part of the BUILD grant project. Public Works Director Heather Overholser said she has a meeting with a Federal Transit Administration representative in Denver to discuss dropping the pathways from the BUILD grant project, unless it impacts the overall project.
“Recognizing that we are at the barebones, I am going to support a one mill increase no matter what happens,” Propst said.
According to county staff, the local property tax relief program had almost 600 applications and 155 applicants did not pay any property taxes because they got the state and county refund. The year prior, 300 applications were received and almost half paid zero property taxes because of both programs. Five counties implemented property tax relief programs in 2024; Sublette, Lincoln, Albany, Teton and Converse. All counties except Converse have canceled their programs.
Teton County’s property tax refund program has an income threshold of $192,392. The max refund anyone can receive is up to 75% of their property tax, with a $5,392.27 cap.
