50% tax exemption to go before Wyo. voters

CHEYENNE — A citizen-led initiative to slash property taxes for qualified Wyoming homeowners by 50% was certified Friday by Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray to appear on the 2026 general election ballot.

The “People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner’s Property Exemption,” spearheaded by former gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien, would exempt half of the assessed value of an owner’s primary property from property taxation, as long as the property owner has lived in Wyoming for at least a year.

Bien campaigned to put the initiative on the 2024 general election ballot but failed to get the 29,730 signatures, with 15% of voters from at least 16 of Wyoming’s 23 counties, by the deadline.

However, Gray announced on Friday that the ballot initiative gathered the necessary signatures to put the initiative before Wyoming voters in November 2026. According to Gray, there were 30,251 valid signatures submitted to his office, which exceeded “15% of those who voted in the preceding general election in Wyoming, and 15% of those resident in at least two-thirds of the counties in the state …” Gray noted in a Friday news release this “is an historic moment for our state.” For the first time in 30 years, voters in the 2026 general election will see a citizen-led initiative on the ballot.

“The people’s right to propose and enact laws by initiative to address fundamental issues, such as property tax limits, is pivotal to our state,” Gray said. “I look forward to putting forward to the People of Wyoming the choice of property tax limits in the upcoming election.”

Revenue Department Director Brenda Henson told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Friday that the proposed ballot initiative, which currently doesn’t require a backfill from the state, is something lawmakers may consider as they file their own property tax relief bills for the 2025 general session.

“Up until today, it was not known that it, in fact, had enough (signatures) and had been certified and that it was going to be on the ballot,” Henson said.

Based on current census data, Henson estimated that 173,000 residential properties could qualify for this tax exemption, but it’s not clear how much tax revenue would be lost, should it pass in 2026.

Several lawmakers have criticized this ballot initiative in the past, arguing it could result in severe revenue loss for local county and city services.