Wyoming resident asks council why her property tax jumped sharply; staff points to valuation and county role

During the open forum at the Wyoming City Council meeting on Dec. 3, 2024, Bridal Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Chiropractic told the council that her property tax had spiked sharply: “It's the 21% increase at the city level,” she said, and added that the county portion had risen roughly 19%.

Pfeiffer asked two questions: what variables determine whose taxes go up or down, and why her property saw such a large increase this year. City staff responded that commercial property valuations for her business had increased about 8% and that differences between residential and commercial valuation timing and methods can produce different tax outcomes across properties. Mr. Linwood of city staff said the county assessor and auditor set valuations and offered to provide contact information and to review five years of tax data with Pfeiffer.

Mr. Linwood also explained that the city works from county valuations when calculating the city’s share of property taxes and that the preliminary levy can be higher than the final levy; he offered a follow-up meeting or phone call to provide further explanation. Pfeiffer confirmed she could stay for the budget presentation and review the information staff offered to compile.

Context: the answers came before a budget presentation that showed the proposed 2025 tax levy increasing 6.24%, a change staff said would affect how the city’s property tax components are apportioned. The council did not make a formal decision on Ms. Pfeiffer’s individual assessment; staff directed follow-up to the county assessor/auditor and to provide contact information to the resident.

Next steps: staff committed to follow up with Ms. Pfeiffer and provide county assessor/auditor contact details so she can pursue a valuation review.