By Noah Zahn
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon held a news conference Friday morning to share details of his forthcoming budget proposal, set to be released on Monday.

“Key among the issues that we have are making sure that we meet the essential needs of government, essential needs of Wyoming people,” he said.

During the news conference, Gordon highlighted aspects of the proposed budget for members of the media, followed by a question-and-answer session. 

Last year, the Wyoming Legislature failed to approve Gordon’s proposed supplemental budget, which impacted how he approached forming a budget this time around.

For this reason, Gordon said he is now requesting that funds for certain recurring requirements and fixed costs be included in the current budget, which expires June 30, to meet needs that were previously unfunded.

This includes $9.3 million to the Wyoming Department of Corrections to cover the cost of housing prisoners out of state; $101.4 million for adult community corrections for reintroduction back into communities; a replenishing of the emergency fire suppression account, which is typically kept around $20 million; $4.57 million for two fire suppression modules; and $9.7 million to cover fixed cost like medical care, food and utilities that have been impacted by inflation.

The governor also discussed more routine items he plans to include in the biennium budget, like funds for water supply, education, property tax relief and construction.

Gordon highlighted the need to address challenges in all river basins, especially the Colorado River, noting that issues are becoming more severe.

“There are not only legal matters to be dealt with, but there are also technical matters, and we need to make sure that we have people in the area and more people able to address the issues that are becoming increasingly more severe,” he said.

The budget includes a request for about $5 million to bolster the attorney general’s water litigation efforts, plus $740,000 for two full-time positions to assist with technical and legal workloads related to the Colorado River.

Concerning air travel, the state’s rural air service is slated to receive $18.4 million for a capacity purchase agreement, as well.

The governor also acknowledged education, noting that he cannot comment on the ongoing appeal of a Laramie County district judge’s decision that found the state of Wyoming to be unconstitutionally underfunding the Department of Education.

The University of Wyoming, however, has several grant requests in the budget.

It requested $10 million in matching funds to support the university and its foundation in raising money for research; the School of Energy Resources is asking for $5 million in matching funds to continue growing its program; the Critical Minerals Initiative included a request for $4 million to help fund research, and UW athletics is asking for $6 million in operating support, some of which supports student- athlete scholarships.

He noted he is specifically excited about supporting energy research and development efforts at UW.

“Wyoming has excelled in leadership on energy, on all fronts, everything from enhanced oil recovery to just regular understanding of what it takes to frack,” he said.

Concerning maintenance, Gordon said he has requested $233 million for major maintenance of state facilities and another $238 million for school facility maintenance, for a total of $471 million.

He also will ask for $153 million for school capital construction, supporting the recommendations of the Legislature’s Select Committee on School Facilities. Other capital construction projects account for about $100 million, with the largest being the renovation of the Veterans Home in Buffalo.

Concerning property tax reductions in recent years, Gordon said he plans to continue to support the traditional $105 million in state funds distributed to counties and municipalities to continue to try to make up for the lost potential revenue.

However, he discussed a bill draft the Legislature will consider come February that would divert some sales tax revenue to local governments. If this were to pass, he said he would decrease the $105 million taken from the state general fund for this purpose.

“Property taxes do not come to the state, they go to the counties,” he said. “We’ve seen counties like Big Horn intend to reduce library service. Casper and Natrona have reduced some of their landscaping. They’re making big cuts where they can (in order) to continue to be able to deliver the services that are necessary.”

Additionally, Gordon said he hopes to allocate $27.2 million to provide property tax relief to struggling homeowners.

Finally, the governor said his budget includes a request of around $112 million to bring state employee pay tables up to 2024 levels to remain competitive and retain quality individuals. He said this includes employees in the judicial branch, University of Wyoming, community colleges and others.

“As everybody knows, inflation has taken a toll on everyone, and our ability to retain quality individuals and talented folks needs to be enhanced,” he said.

When asked about the lack of maternal health care across Wyoming, the governor said that the Rural Health Transformation Initiative and waiver help provide care for obstetrics. He stated that maternal health has been “top of mind ever since we lost delivery services in Evanston,” and that the state intends to support local entities that are meeting that need.

On Thursday, tripped power lines cut service to 95,000 Wyoming electricity customers. Gordon discussed the need to modernize the state’s energy grid, stressing that Wyoming must prioritize innovation over regulation to secure its energy future.

“It’s time we understand that we can’t regulate ourselves into the future. We’ve got to innovate ourselves into the future,” he said.