The Carbon County Library system grappled with a 53% operating budget reduction in fiscal year 2026. That was in part because of a law passed last year that provides a 25% exemption on the first $1 million of a property’s market evaluation. Much of the library system’s budget comes from property taxes. Staff hours were cut by more than half, and building hours were reduced. Now, a statewide measure on the November general election ballot could increase the property tax exemption to 50%.
The 25% property tax exemption was enacted in part to give Wyoming residents relief from property tax increases put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the housing supply chain dwindled and homebuyers sought cheaper real estate out West, Wyoming housing valuations surged, and so did property taxes.
“It's not fair that the people who pay property taxes have to be the ones that bear all the brunt of our economy,” Cheryl Aguiar, a state committeewoman who helped spearhead the ballot initiative, told Wyoming Public Radio in 2025. "Everybody should bear the brunt of our economy."
Since the 25% reduction in property taxes took effect, Carbon County saw a $947,000 drop in property tax revenue, meaning that public services, such as museums and libraries, were given smaller operating budgets.
Since the 1970s, people have moved here to avoid high property tax states and take advantage of mineral severance levies that keep other taxes low. As inflation continues to grow, reaching its highest peak since 2023 in May this year, people are looking to save money wherever they can.
The Carbon County Library System expects operating costs to be around $500,000 after reducing hours this year. Typically, 55% of that comes from the county, with the rest coming from grants, municipal contributions, savings and community donations. But even after significant cuts, the libraries plan to dip into their savings to stay afloat. If the budget gets reduced further in fiscal year 2027, the savings will likely dry up, and all but the Rawlins branch will likely close.
“We're able to make it through this fiscal year, and so, now we're looking at what's going to happen next fiscal year,” said Adelaide Myers, chair of the Carbon County Library Board. “Since we got our budget from the county, they've told us, ‘If you think this is bad, wait until you see what next year's budget's going to be.’”
While not nearly as large as Carbon County’s budget change, Platte, Hot Springs and Converse counties also incurred sizable losses from the 25% property tax reduction.
But libraries aren’t the only entities that will see impacts from a potential 50% property tax exemption. K-12 public education is expected to incur a $686 million deficit by 2030. Healthcare has also suffered, as 18 hospitals in special districts depend on property tax revenue for some income. State property taxes also support essential services like police and fire departments, water treatment, and road maintenance.
“I honestly believe that reducing property taxes by 50% without providing some sort of backfill, say, from the state's rainy day fund, would be catastrophic for the whole state,” Myers said. “Maybe not so much for Gillette and Jackson, but it would be catastrophic for rural Wyoming, full stop.”
Other states have also adopted tax-cutting agendas, but have found ways to make up for the lost revenue. In 2024, Iowa signed a nearly $1 billion tax cut into law, but utilized its reserves to pay for most of the deficit. Washington state recently implemented a millionaires’ tax that would account for its regressive tax system.
The Wyoming Legislature hasn’t proposed any revenue-raising measures to counteract the property tax loss so far. Last year, a house bill proposed raising sales tax in most counties, but it didn’t pass. Another bill, considered in the same legislative session, would have taxed solar and nuclear energy sources in the state. It also didn’t pass.
Myers said the future of Carbon County libraries is uncertain, but she believes their fate depends on the people.
“A lot of people don't realize the benefits that libraries bring, even if they're not personally a library user,” Myers said. “It's one of those things that has a civilizing effect. It creates a more literate electorate. But when they're [people] tantalized with another few hundred dollars in their pocket, that's a really simple thing.”
Myers and the Library System Board of Directors have put out a call to action asking people to donate to libraries, mobilize around candidates who are against the initiative and vote out those in favor of eliminating property taxes altogether. She also pointed to voting in favor of the 5th Penny, an optional sales tax that adds one cent to every dollar spent in the county. She said these are necessary because “philanthropy is not a sustainable model to fund public services.” Because of how many public services rely on these taxes, Myers feels the message is urgent.
“Because it's not just libraries. If this ballot measure passes, then all these conversations are moot.”
The ballot initiative to raise the property tax exemption will be on all of Wyoming's ballots during the general election on Nov. 3. More than 50% of those voting in the general election would need to vote for the exemption for it to pass. It will be the first time a citizen initiative will be voted on in 30 years.
