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Resident urges sale of city assets as council and mayor warn of trade-offs from property tax relief
Summary
At the March 4, 2025 Casper City Council meeting, resident Ross Shriffman urged the city to sell certain municipally owned properties to offset state property tax exemptions; councilors and the mayor responded that potential state-driven property tax cuts would require trade-offs in services and stressed staff analysis and public transparency.
Ross Shriffman, a Casper resident, told the City Council on March 4 that “government should not be in the business of business” and urged the city to consider selling parcels it owns — including a parking garage, a golf course and other properties — to offset effects from recently amended state legislation that he said provides a 25% residential property exemption.
Shriffman said the city’s 2024 audit lists assets totaling "$622,000,000" and a net position of "$521,000,000," and he estimated the reduced revenue from the state exemption at about "$1,300,000." He suggested the city could release $3,000,000 held for a second ice sheet at the ice arena to cover part of the shortfall and proposed holding a town hall so residents could better understand options.
The mayor and several councilors responded that staff have already analyzed the budget and that any proposals for tax relief or asset sales require careful study. The mayor said, in defense of earlier public remarks, that “it is transparency and honesty that we talk to this community” and that staff are trusted professionals who know the numbers.
Councilor Kelsey Pollack (City Council) said she did not run on tax relief and emphasized preserving city services and infrastructure, adding that the legislative debate has lacked detail about how relief would flow to municipalities. Pollack said the council must weigh any property tax changes against the city’s ability to maintain services and facilities.
Vice Mayor (unnamed on the record) and Councilor Sweeney reiterated that they are not opposed to property tax relief in principle but urged that any reduction be done “in an educated proper manner” so it does not create a municipal fiscal crisis. Councilors said they have met with state legislators and plan follow-up to explain the municipal budget impacts.
Shriffman’s public comments and the council’s responses were part of the meeting’s public-comment and council-discussion periods; no binding action on asset sales or tax policy was taken at the session.
Clarifying details raised at the meeting included Shriffman’s list of potential assets for sale (a parking garage; two museums; land at the YMCA; Girl Scout headquarters; a private mental health center; a golf course; an event center; and a ski area) and his references to the city audit figures and the amended Senate File 69 residential exemption. Councilors repeatedly said staff analysis and further dialogue with state legislators are needed before policy changes or asset dispositions could be considered.
