 - A proposal to change the way mills are levied for local recreation districts and boards of cooperative educational services was not considered for introduction during this month’s legislative session - but a similar bill draft affecting only recreation districts has passed the Wyoming House of Representatives. ){kind=link}
(Riverton, WY) – A proposal to change the way mills are levied for local recreation districts and boards of cooperative educational services was not considered for introduction during this month’s legislative session – but a similar bill draft affecting only recreation districts has passed the Wyoming House of Representatives.
House Bill 127 – Voter approval for recreation mill levy – would require elections for the imposition of mill levies for recreational purposes.
Currently, county governments and school boards can pass recreational mill levies independently, but under HB 127, a majority of qualified electors in the county or school district would have to approve the tax every four years.
Crook County
Wyoming Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, said he sponsored the legislation after a school board in his district voted 6-3 to pass a recreational mill levy – despite opposition from local residents.
“I would love to be able to have the voters in these situations have the ability to be able to opine on this decision and see if that’s something that they support as taxpayers,” Neiman said when he introduced HB 127 to the House Revenue Committee this month.
Several constituents from Neiman’s district spoke in favor of HB 127 during that committee meeting, but representatives from other Wyoming counties argued against the legislation, raising concerns about the impact it would have on their local recreational offerings.
“Rec organizations across our state rely heavily – and in some cases almost entirely – on school district recreation mills,” Wyoming Recreation and Park Association President Amber Anderson said. “If a levy were to fail, the result would be immediate reductions or eliminations of valued community services.”
Even if voters approve a recreational mill levy, Anderson added, the four-year renewal requirement in HB 127 creates uncertainty that could jeopardize ongoing funding streams for local recreational organizations.
‘Voter scrutiny’
When he introduced HB 127 on first reading in the House last week, Neiman argued that, if a recreational mill levy is truly funding valued community services, voters will renew it.
“Good ideas survive voter scrutiny,” he said. “This four-year reauthorization gives voters a recurring oversight. … If they are liking it and it’s doing exactly what it was intended to do, they will put it back on.”
HB 127 passed the House on third reading Feb. 21, with “aye” votes from Wyoming Reps. Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, and John Winter, R-Thermopolis, and “nay” votes from Wyoming Reps. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, and Ivan Posey, D-Fort Washakie.
It was referred to the Senate Revenue Committee on Monday.
On Tuesday, Riverton School Board Trustee Carl Manning encouraged residents who participate in activities funded through the Fremont County School District 25 Recreation Board to contact local lawmakers about HB 127, which was co-sponsored by Wyoming Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton.
“It’s the people that use it that need to talk to them, (because) it’s our end users that are going to be affected,” Manning said. “Those family members should be contacting our representatives to get off the fence and say, ‘Hey, let’s stop this before it gets passed.’”
Effective date
The Senate Revenue Committee approved HB 127 on Friday with an amendment proposed by Wyoming Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, changing the bill’s effective date to July 1, 2029.
In its current form, HB 127 would take effect immediately, and any recreational mills not approved by voters would expire on Dec. 31, 2028.
Under Case’s amendment, those mills wouldn’t expire until Dec. 31, 2030.
Case said the extension would give lawmakers time to address any issues that might arise when recreational mills that have been used to secure bonds are eliminated.
“If the bill goes through with these extended dates, we actually have time to probably work on that,” he said.
The committee approved the amended bill draft 3-2, with Case voting “aye.”
The Wyoming Senate will consider approving the standing committee amendment when HB 127 comes up on first reading.