A message from Keep Jackson Whole PAC.
JACKSON, Wyo. – Three questions on this year’s ballot will shape the services Teton County depends on for years to come. Together, they present one choice: keep funding local institutions that serve everyone here, or gamble on a future with no guarantee and no plan to replace the revenues lost.
FOR: Proposed continuation of the conservation district tax
Teton Conservation District is a small team that gets outsized results by funding partners across the valley. Last year, it helped make county roads safer for wildfire evacuation, supported elk research that guides hunting seasons and tracks disease, and developed the Fish Creek Watershed Plan to improve water quality. Voters have renewed this levy since 1998, and it makes sense to do so again for another four years to protect our water, soil and wildlife habitat.
FOR: Proposed increase of the hospital district mill levy
St. John’s has levied the same three mills since 1976, when Jackson was a very different place. Raising the levy to six keeps care close to home. It supports emergency care, labor and delivery, cancer treatment, clinics and the nursing home. Revenues from the levy help keep doctors, nurses and staff in our community. When someone is hurt on the mountain or needs care in the middle of the night, the value of having care close by is measured in lives saved.
AGAINST: Proposition One
Proposition One would exempt half the assessed value of a qualifying homeowner’s house from property tax across the state. It sounds like relief, but those revenues keep our communities safe and working for residents. Wyoming’s existing 25% exemption has already led to cuts at libraries, extension programs and fire districts around the state, and Proposition One would deepen them. It would also significantly cut funding for schools, which would have to be made up in other ways, which could shift the burden to businesses or sales taxes. Proposition One gives the biggest dollar breaks to owners of the most expensive homes—while leaving our communities with less money for essential services.
Prop. One would also shrink the tax base that the hospital and conservation district rely on, so every mill voters approve would raise less.
Local services, local control. On Nov. 3, mark FOR the conservation district tax, FOR the hospital levy, and AGAINST Proposition One.
