<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1WrGz2_1H1Lnji200" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1WrGz2_1H1Lnji200" width="1515" height="1004" ><figcaption>The colors are presented during the opening ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol’s 250th celebration Saturday. The ceremony included remarks from local and state leaders about the state’s past, and where they hope it will be in the future. Photo by Alyssa Tolman, Wyoming Tribune Eagle.</figcaption></figure>Proposals to restart a county consensus funding program are moving through the Wyoming Legislature’s interim committee process. If enacted, the program would divide a pool of money across all 23 Wyoming counties, potentially providing funds for improvement projects in Johnson County, the town of Kaycee and the city of Buffalo.Two consensus funding bills are making their way through interim committees. One bill comes from the Joint Appropriations Committee, and the other is from the Joint Minerals, Business&amp; Economic Development Interim Committee. The two bills differ in language but offer the same idea: to create a pool of money divided evenly across counties to help local governments fund improvement projects.“It’s a really good way to help our towns and cities and counties to be able to afford to do some projects they can’t otherwise do,” Rep. Marilyn Connolly, R-Buffalo, said. “There’s only so much local money, and they’re supposed to be managing it wisely. This will help them be able to do some things they probably couldn’t otherwise do.” Wyoming has had county consensus funding programs in the past. The first time the state adopted a consensus funding program was for the 2007-08 biennium budget, splitting $18 million across the 23 counties. And the last time a consensus fund existed was the 2015-16 budget. That year the counties split $70 million, with Johnson County receiving just over $1 million, using the money for the Johnson County Library in Kaycee.The state created the fund during a gas boom, and Gov. Dave Freudenthal and the Legislature wanted to invest in infrastructure across the state. The program was especially useful for smaller Wyoming communities that might not have the staff or means to apply for grants or raise funds for expensive projects. Wyoming ended the program in 2016 due to an economic downturn.Both proposed bills use the same calculation to distribute funds. The split is based on the three-year average state and county population and a county’s assessed land value. However, they differ in how much money to distribute.In the appropriations bill, while not yet set in writing, lawmakers suggest $45 million per year, funded by the severance tax cap. The funds would be ongoing, with a revision every four years, whereas the minerals bill explicitly budgets $100 million for fiscal year 2027 and $100 million for fiscal 2028 from the legislative stabilization reserve account. After the second year, the fund ends.Johnson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Novotny said he’d prefer the minerals $200 million over two years.“I worry that $45 million spread over 23 counties and over 100 municipalities, good projects won’t be funded,” he said.The two bills also differ on what type of projects qualify for the funds, and Novotny prefers the appropriation bill’s language.The appropriations bill’s project scope is wider than its minerals counterpart. It specifies using consensus funds for “capital projects,” which encompass purchasing, construction, reconstruction or substantial improvements to public facilities and infrastructure. It also allows expenditures for major maintenance and repairs to existing public facilities and infrastructure, and specifies that special district projects apply.The minerals bill only allows funds for capital projects constructed by local government entities.“Cities, towns and counties need the most flexibility to address their specific needs,” Novotny said. “I’m concerned that the minerals language is so narrowly tailored that we would not be able to address Johnson County’s most pressing needs.”If funds are approved, the county and 50% of municipalities must agree to opt into the program. Based on Johnson County’s use of consensus funds in the past, Novotny and Connolly see the countyopting into the new program. Johnson County governments previously pooled the consensus funds for major projects, rather than dividing them up.If the Legislature passes a new program, Novotny wants to ensure proper oversight of any selected projects so the funds are used for maximum impact. He pointed to potentially using the funds for the failed 1% specific-use tax ballot measure for improvements and safety upgrades on 5.3 miles of Rock Creek Road and Johnson Creek Road, or for a sewer upgrade at the Johnson County Airport.The Joint Minerals Committee is not meeting again before the Legislature’s general session in January, and the Joint Appropriations Committee has one more meeting in December to potentially iron out its bill.But if a vote comes to the floor, Connolly said, she is voting for the fund.“I’m really more looking at having it pass, whether it’s the mineral bill or the joint appropriation bill. As long as we can get it in law, and get that money coming,” she said.</div></body>

Block Source: buffalobulletin.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Proposals to restart a county consensus funding program are moving through the Wyoming Legislature’s interim committee process. If enacted, the program would divide a pool of money across all 23 Wyoming counties, potentially providing funds for improvement projects in Johnson County, the town of Kaycee and the city of Buffalo.

Legislators working on bills to help pay for county projects

NewsBreak

Proposals to restart a county consensus funding program are moving through the Wyoming Legislature’s interim committee process. If enacted, the program wou

Legislators working on bills to help pay for county projects

Comments