Senate passes 50% homeowner property tax exemption after rejecting partial backfill

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 4 approved Senate File 69, a bill to reduce homeowner property tax liability, after the chamber rejected an amendment that would have limited the cut and provided a partial state backfill and instead adopted an amendment restoring a larger, no‑backfill cut.

The sponsor, Senator Jones, had offered a third‑reading amendment that would have kept the property tax relief at 25% and provided a 12.5% state reimbursement to county treasurers for lost revenue. “This amendment does leave the property tax relief at 25%. All it does is address the backfill to our communities, and it gives them a 12 and a half percent backfill,” Senator Jones said on the floor as she urged colleagues to consider local impacts.

Senator Nethercott moved an alternative amendment that returned the bill to its original form: a 50% reduction in the homeowner exemption with no state backfill and a two‑year sunset. “This restores Senate File 69 back to its original intent, which is a 50% reduction, no backfill, 2 year sunset,” Nethercott said before the Senate adopted that…