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Committee hears hours of testimony on curbing county reserves; bill tabled for further study
Summary
House Bill 262, which would limit county reserves and require refunds of excess funds, drew extensive testimony from county officials, associations and local officials and was tabled for further work after committee members raised constitutional, administrative and practical concerns.
Representative Dan Johnson presented House Bill 262, which would restrict the amount counties may hold in reserve and require counties to calculate an "annual spending amount" and notify residents if an excess fund is expected. Johnson said reserves in some counties exceed what he considers reasonable; using Laramie County as an example he described reserves that he and supporters consider excessive and said excess revenue should be returned to taxpayers, including revenue from mineral production.
The bill drew lengthy opposition from the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, which said returning general county reserves to taxpayers could raise constitutional concerns. Jeremiah Grama, executive director of the association, cited Article 16, Section 6 of the state constitution prohibiting gifts or donations by political subdivisions and warned the proposed…
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