Property tax relief refund program sends $70,000 back to Big Horn County taxpayers

At a time of soaring property values, a key question facing Big Horn County residents and their elected leaders as 2024 begins is what, if anything, can be done to provide relief to those who struggle to meet their property tax payment obligation.

Property tax relief was a hot topic at last year’s legislative session, and then again last month when county officials, including Niki Vigil, the country treasurer, and Gina Anderson, the county assessor, met with state legislators.

Vigil said her office heard from many county residents who were frustrated over their rising property tax bills and spent considerable time directing them to the relief program administered by the state and helping them with their applications.

To be eligible for the refund program, for which applications were due by June 5, 2023, property owners must have lived in the state for five years and occupied their home at least nine of the 12 months last year, have household incomes of $96,888 or less along with $150,000 or less in assets and have paid their 2022 property taxes in full. Those who qualified were eligible to receive up to 50% of their property taxes refunded from the state of Wyoming.

“Ultimately, the decision falls to the state whether or not they qualify,” said Vigil. 

Many did, according to a report from the Wyoming Department of Revenue. For tax year 2022, the revenue department reported that of the 173 applications received from Big Horn County, 154 were approved and only 19 were denied.  The total amount issued to Big Horn County property owners amounted to $70,724, with the average refund totaling approximately $459.

All those figures far surpassed the Big Horn County totals from the 2021 tax year (42 applications approved, 24 denied, $14,793 in refunds) and the 2020 tax year (26 approved, one denied, $7,843 in refunds).

Statewide, the Department of Revenue approved 8,813 of the 9,943 applications it received for the 2022 tax year and issued refunds of approximately $8.2 million.

Dalton Banks, who represents District 26 in the House of Representatives, is an advocate for property tax relief and supported legislation that will allow voters to decide whether to separate residential property from other property in the tax structure.

“This will appear on the ballot this year and will allow us, if passed, to reduce the assessment rate for residential property. I feel confident in this measure going forward.

“Related to that, I have signed onto a bill that is a trigger bill. If this measure is passed, this bill will automatically go into effect and reduce the assessment rate on residential property from 9.5% to 8.3%.”

Banks said he also supports a bill that would cap annual property tax increases at 5%.

“This means no longer will we see 17% increases or in cases up to 48% increases in our property taxes,” he said. “The most you will see is a 5% increase. Hopefully this will bring some relief and allow people to stay in their homes.”

He said a budget proposal to expand the property tax refund program is also on the table.

“I know property taxes have been fresh on everyone’s mind, and in my conversations with my colleagues I feel confident that we will be able to bring relief this session,” he said. 

In the meantime, Vigil said she tells anyone who asks if more property tax relief is on the horizon that it’s a state program and that she and her office “will know more in April, which is usually when they start sending us information about it.”