taxes

The House and Senate each passed dozens of bills via non-debated consent lists. But some of the more controversial measures died after individual debate.

The local BOCES offers everything from pottery classes to college credits to childcare. But the majority of their budget comes from the natural gas industry. The group says they may have to scale back if revenues keep declining.

Wyoming’s governor is touting his budget proposal, which recommended raising state employee salaries, more funding for healthcare and support for business growth. A lawmaking committee denied many of those requests.

Legislators across the political spectrum have been hosting town halls and listening sessions on the upcoming session and this year’s elections.

Wyoming lawmakers on the Joint Appropriations Committee took their first crack at the state budget this past week. They’re making cuts and limiting growth.

Wyoming lawmakers are considering doing away with all taxation on land used for housing. Similarly sweeping proposals are becoming more common in states like Florida and Texas.

The Wyoming Business Council asked likely voters what’s working and what’s not in their local communities. Investing to avoid brain drain was a common theme.

There’s been an especially steep drop in fertility rates in western states, including Wyoming, which has also seen a big jump in the cost of housing.

Towns like Pine Haven rely on a network of volunteer firefighters with limited resources to battle sometimes-deadly blazes. In Crook County, property tax cuts have slashed an account meant for new fire engines and equipment.

Multiple actions taken at the state and federal levels are hurting the already fragile financial system of these health care providers, including what has been at the heart of the federal government shutdown. However, all in the industry are eyeing a new bucket of federal money that they hope will help hospitals emerge from these dire financial straits.