Prop 1 is like driving into a Wyoming blizzard with half a tank of gas

Vote no on Proposition 1 

Most of us grew up learning a few simple lessons at home: do your fair share, pay your part and look out for the people around you. We help our neighbors, because that’s what good neighbors do, trusting that, when we need a hand, they’ll be there for us, too.

That is how we should think about the taxes that support our communities.

Proposition 1 asks Wyoming voters to cut residential property taxes by half before there is a clear, dependable plan to replace the local revenue those taxes provide. To us, that is like heading across Wyoming in winter with half a tank of gas and $10 in your wallet, making a plan later on a way to fill the tank farther down the road.

Half a tank is fine if it gets you where you are going. But if it will not, you need a plan before leaving the driveway. Hoping it works out somewhere beyond Shoshoni is not a plan. It is the making of a disaster. Wyoming deserves better from our government than hope and guesswork.

We hope we never need a firefighter at our door. But we are grateful that firefighters are trained, equipped and ready when a neighbor calls. We value our libraries, schools, roads, ambulances, rural health services and law enforcement. These are not luxuries. They are the practical, everyday services that make a community safe, livable and worth calling home.

Yes, property taxes can place a real burden on homeowners, especially seniors and families on tight budgets. Those residents deserve relief, and there are already tax relief programs in place. But they deserve a responsible solution, not one that shifts the burden onto schools, counties, towns, fire districts, libraries and hospitals without first beginning to figure out how the bills will be paid.

Less local revenue can mean fewer library hours, delayed road repairs, aging emergency equipment and fewer trained people available when help is needed. Schools still need teachers, warm classrooms and buses that run. Those costs do not disappear simply because the state collects less money.

And the people making these local spending decisions are our local elected boards. They are not distant bureaucrats. They are our neighbors. They shop in the same stores, pay taxes, attend church, volunteer and raise families here. We can attend their meetings, ask questions, challenge their decisions and hold them accountable. That is local government close enough to see, hear and influence.

We can help struggling homeowners without weakening the services every family depends upon. Cutting first and figuring out the consequences later is not responsible government.

Big Horn County and other northern counties face an additional concern. If the eventual solution is to replace lost property tax revenue with higher sales taxes, our county could be at a particular disadvantage. Many residents already make major purchases in Billings, since Montana has no sales tax, and a much higher sales tax in Wyoming would drive even more shoppers north, hurting our local businesses.

As voters consider Proposition 1, we encourage them to think carefully about what it could mean for our schools, libraries, emergency services, roads and the communities we call home. If you value these services, vote no on Tuesday.

— John Bernhisel and David Peck