Wyoming’s State Board of Equalization has agreed to implement a property tax cap while a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality works through the court system. The agreement with the governor’s office, granted by a district court, is intended to minimize disruptions to the state’s tax system while the legal battle carries on.

Background

The dispute began when Gov. Mark Gordon sued the board in June after the panel concluded that it could not certify residential property tax assessments due to disparities created by a 4% tax cap enacted by the Wyoming Legislature two years ago. A district court then temporarily ordered the board to enforce the cap. The board also countersued last week.

The case hinges on the cap’s constitutionality, the board’s authority, and the administration of the state’s property tax laws. The agreement allows the board to “document in its certification or examinations that any certification decision is entered pursuant to court order and may note its constitutional concerns with that decision.”

Converse County Dixie Huxtable told WyoFile that the agreement “certainly gives us some relief out of some of the confusion” and that county assessors were worried about the possibility of having “to revalue 2026 properties” without it.

Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.