Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon rolled out an early look at his upcoming biennial budget this week, and let’s just say the message was clear: Pay the workers, help the locals, and maybe, just maybe, fix the property tax migraine everyone’s been complaining about since 2022.
Speaking at a press conference in Cheyenne and later at the Governor’s Business Forum in Laramie, Gordon outlined a budget request packed with funding boosts, local government support, wildfire resources, and a proposal to redirect sales tax dollars so Wyoming communities can actually keep the lights on.
Below is the breakdown.
State Employee Raises: A Big Ask, but Gordon Says It’s Needed
Gordon is requesting about $112 million to increase wages for state employees.
His argument? Wyoming’s workforce is falling behind regional competitors, recruiting new employees is getting harder, and keeping talent in the Cowboy State is even harder.
He said raises are needed to “bring our people up to current pay tables and stay competitive in the market.”
Given what the private sector is paying in places like Teton County, he’s not wrong.
Wyoming Property Tax Relief
The budget includes $27.2 million for continued property tax relief.
Gordon acknowledged what every Wyoming homeowner already knows: Valuations skyrocketed, bills ballooned, and a whole lot of folks are staring at envelopes they’d rather burn than open.
This funding keeps existing relief efforts afloat while lawmakers argue over longer-term solutions.
Sales Tax Redistribution: The Big Pivot for Local Gov’t
This is one of the biggest items Gordon teased.
Wyoming’s counties and municipalities have been complaining for years that they’re asked to provide more services with fewer dollars. From Big Horn County’s library cuts to Natrona County chopping basic maintenance, the squeeze is real.
Gordon’s proposal includes $105 million from the state’s general fund earmarked for local governments, but only if lawmakers do not pass a new bill that redistributes state-collected sales and use tax revenue back to counties and towns.
If the sales tax bill passes, the $105 million goes away.
Either way, Gordon is signaling that he knows locals need more money, and the state can’t keep pretending everything’s fine.
For context, 31% of state-collected sales and use taxes, roughly $290 million, already goes to counties and towns, but that formula hasn’t been updated in years. Population pressures (hello, Jackson Hole) and inflation haven’t made things any easier.
Wildfires, Air Service, and the Eternal Colorado River Fight
Gordon’s budget preview also includes:
- $4.57 million for two new fire suppression modules.
- $18.4 million to continue supporting rural air service.
- $5 million for the Attorney General’s office to help Wyoming keep jousting with other western states over the Colorado River.
- $9.3 million for out-of-state prisoner housing, because staffing shortages continue to hammer the Department of Corrections.
- $10 million in matching funds to help the University of Wyoming attract outside research dollars.
These aren’t flashy line items, but they’re the kind of infrastructure pieces that keep Wyoming functioning in the background.
Workforce Retention & Keeping Young People in Wyoming
A major theme throughout Gordon’s remarks: Wyoming needs to keep more of its young people from fleeing the state.
He emphasized “workforce development, competitive pay, low taxes, strong permitting, and high-quality jobs”. Basically, everything needed to stop the pipeline of 18-year-olds who pack a Subaru and never look back.
He also took a friendly jab at voter turnout, noting, “None of this stuff happens if we have a 27% group that shows up to vote.”
Fair point.
What Comes Next
The full 2025–2027 budget proposal is slated for release sometime this week.
We’ll dig into the numbers as soon as they drop, especially anything with implications for Jackson, Teton County services, education funding, housing pressures, and the property tax debate that refuses to die.
Stay tuned. As always, we’ll break it down so you don’t have to read 400 pages of state budget jargon.
AntlersArch founder and the voice behind Teton Tattle.
