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Legislative committee weighs sponsoring a bill that would incentivize cleanup of abandoned buildings

An abandoned building with chipped paint.
Chris Clements
/
Wyoming Public Media
An abandoned building on Laramie's west side on April 23, 2024.

This story is part of our new Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.

A bill that would incentivize property owners in Wyoming to refurbish abandoned and nuisance buildings was reconsidered in a Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee meeting on Monday.

The same bill failed to clear introduction in this year’s legislative budget session. Yet it wasn’t sponsored by a committee, a process that usually means a bill will have better odds of passing the session.

If this bill was successfully introduced to the Legislature next year and passed into law, buildings would first need to be determined to be abandoned or a nuisance by the local city council. The bill would then provide a motive for property owners to revitalize them through property tax credits.

For example, if an owner fixes up their abandoned building, they could write off the cost on their annual property tax bill for up to 10 years after a building or property was refurbished. At that point, the credit would expire.

An abandoned building’s annual property taxes in Wyoming could be as little as $1,000. An owner might spend $100,000 to refurbish it, resulting in an increased property tax bill of $3,000 annually. The tax credit would mean that owner could write off their $3,000 bill every year for the 10 year period, allowing them – in this case – to recoup up to $30,000 of their original investment.

At the hearing, several committee members expressed support for sponsoring the legislation.

One of the sponsors of the measure, Rep. Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie), said that she hopes the committee will take up the bill because it could have a better chance next session with committee sponsorship.

This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.

Chris Clements is a state government reporter and digital media specialist for Wyoming Public Media based in Laramie. He came to WPM from KSJD Radio in Cortez, Colorado, where he reported on Indigenous affairs, drought, and local politics in the Four Corners region. Before that, he graduated with a degree in English (Creative Writing) from Arizona State University. Chris's news stories have been featured on KUNC, NPR newscasts, and National Native News, among others.

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