Committee recommends sales tax measure to fund ambulance, public transit, and air service in Fremont County

(Riverton, WY) – The local committee that has been exploring funding options to support Fremont County’s ambulance, public transportation, and commercial air service systems delivered its recommendation to the Fremont County Association of Governments last week. 

The report proposes that, pending concurrence by the Fremont County Commission, FCAG should oversee and administer the funding streams for all the three local systems, which would be financed through either a single .75 percent sales tax or two half-percent sales tax measures.

The tax options would need to be approved by local voters.

Two alternatives

A .75 percent sales tax would generate about $6.525 million annually to fund a publicly run ambulance system (estimated to cost $3.8 million per year), cover the local revenue guarantee for commercial air service at Central Wyoming Regional Airport (estimated at $1.9 million per year), and offer operational support for the Wind River Transportation Authority bus system (estimated at $440,000 for fiscal year 2026), the recommendation states.

By contrast, two distinct half-percent sales tax initiatives – one to fund the county ambulance service, and another to support commercial air service and public ground transportation – would generate about $4.35 million each, or $8.7 million total, the committee estimated.

That’s more than would be required, Riverton Mayor and FCAG Chair Tim Hancock acknowledged this week, but he explained that sales tax measures have to be set in .25 percent increments, and because a .25 percent sales tax wouldn’t generate enough revenue to support either the ambulance service or the combined public transportation and commercial air service systems, the committee had to recommend the next-highest percentage available: .5 percent.

“If you did (that), you would end up with some extra,” Hancock said. “If you did it as a .75 percent tax and had that going to all three services, you’re closer to having it fill that (need) without having to do what we were concerned about in FCAG – which is over-taxing.”

The .75 percent “consolidated approach” likely has a higher chance of approval at the polls, too, the committee said, “because it presents voters with a single, straightforward ballot question rather than multiple measures.”

“By requiring only one affirmative vote, it simplifies the decision-making process, reduces voter fatigue associated with approving multiple tax increases, and minimizes the cumulative burden on taxpayers of navigating successive funding requests,” the recommendation states.

On the other hand, the committee said, the “bifurcated structure” of the two half percent sales tax options “offers the advantage of allowing county residents to evaluate and vote on each service independently – a critical consideration given the fundamental nature of ambulance service as an emergency response function, distinct from the ‘key’ infrastructure roles of commercial air service and public transit.”

Consolidated approach

FCAG voted to pursue the single consolidated sales tax option during a meeting this week – but the exact percentage of the proposed tax will be determined following further review of need, FCAG Administrator Tim Nichols said.

The committee also plans to present its findings to the local governing bodies involved in FCAG – Fremont County, Riverton, Lander, Shoshoni, Dubois, Hudson, and Pavillion – in the coming months in order to “get some direction” from more elected officials, Hancock said. 

Riverton City Administrator Kyle Butterfield pointed out that a majority of those local government entities and the Fremont County Commission would have to pass resolutions supporting the proposed sales tax measure in order for the option to appear on Fremont County ballots.

Local residents also have the option of advancing ballot initiatives through petitions, he noted.