A proposed change to the distribution agreement for Fremont County’s half percent sales tax for economic development has been approved by five of the seven government entities involved.
Riverton, Pavillion, Hudson, Lander and Shoshoni all voted in favor of the change, though the Lander City Council vote was split 3-2, according to a report from Fremont County Association of Governments Administrator Timothy Nichols.
The other two government entities involved – Fremont County and Dubois – voted against the proposed change, Nichols said, with the Fremont County Commission vote split at 2-3.
Poll
The change to the distribution agreement only requires approval from a majority of the government entities involved, but because Fremont County and Dubois voted against the proposal, Nichols said “the decision was made to circulate a poll which would help solidify where the citizens of Fremont County landed when it came to the existing MOU, and how secure its future will be if changes are made.”
The poll can be accessed here.
“Once the poll data is collected, it will be presented at the next FCAG meeting for consideration as the Mayors and County Commissioner take the data back to their respective governing bodies to determine the appropriate path forward,” Nichols said. “A vote will need to be cast at an upcoming FCAG, or similar meeting to finalize the modification process.”
The next FCAG meeting will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at Riverton City Hall, 816 N. Federal Blvd., Nichols said.
Data from the poll will be presented during that meeting, he said, followed by “further discussion on the modification and whether or not to proceed with modifying.”
The sales tax ballot language, which will remain unchanged for this year’s vote, specifies that 70 percent of revenues from the optional tax will be utilized by local government entities on economic development projects of their choosing, Nichols noted.
Under the proposed change to the distribution agreement, the local government entities would agree that air service, ground transportation, and ambulance are “the main economic development projects they choose to be funded,” leaving a “smaller portion to be utilized at the entities’ discretion.”
For more information, call FCAG at 856-9782.