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Commissioners warn proposed cuts to direct distribution, tax swap could cost Sweetwater County
Summary
Commissioner Jones warned proposed legislative changes that would reduce 'direct distribution' funding from 8% to 5.6% and replace residential property tax with a sales tax could shift millions away from the county; he cited specific estimated losses for Sweetwater County and its towns.
Commissioner Jones used his report to outline potential local impacts from a suite of proposals moving through the state legislature, saying the Joint Appropriations Committee had advanced a bill reducing direct distribution from the current 8% level to about 5.6 percent. He cited Legislative Service Office estimates that Sweetwater County would lose $286,015 under the reduction and listed town‑level estimated losses including Rock Springs ($495,431) and Green River ($247,799), totaling “over $1,000,000” across the county’s units.
Jones also addressed a separate proposal discussed by some legislators to eliminate residential property taxes and offset the loss with a 2% sales tax. He said the arithmetic he’d seen did not support claims the plan would benefit local jurisdictions: he cited local treasurer and assessor figures that Sweetwater County receives about $15,000,000 a year in residential property tax and that a 2% sales tax increase might generate roughly $35,000,000 countywide — but he warned that if the state retained 70% of that sales tax increase, local receipts could still fall, leaving municipalities and school districts worse off.
Jones said the proposals felt like a centralization of revenue that could strip local control and urged continued dialogue with legislators. He invited further conversations with county legislators for clarification.
