From the pages of
Sublette Examiner
Volume 6, Number 44 - January 25, 2007
brought to you online by Pinedale Online

Homestead bill dead

by Cat Urbigkit

Sublette County Commission Chairman Bill Cramer reported the commission’s frustration Tuesday with the actions of the Wyoming Legislature in killing House District 22 Representative Monte Olsen’s bill to allow counties the option to fund the homestead exemption.

“The bill went down in flames,” Cramer said, but Commissioner Joel Bousman noted it wasn’t because Cramer didn’t “give them hell” about it.

Cramer said when he quizzed them, legislative leaders claimed the reason for their opposition was because they felt it was a constitutional issue. That’s not a valid claim, Cramer said, since the exemption is already in the statute and Olsen’s bill would simply allow counties the option to fund the exemption. The law on the books only allows the state to fund the exemption, which state officials refuse to do.

When faced with that argument, Cramer said, legislators “then turned on their heels and said it’s a matter of fairness.”

Cramer said the argument was then made that it’s not fair for Sublette County to give homeowners an exemption when other counties can’t afford to do the same thing.

Cramer said what it boils down to is jealousy, not fairness.

Bousman told Cramer, “I thought you gave a good case, but they didn’t listen to it.”

Sublette County Clerk Mary Lankford said she’s received a big stack of letters from homeowners in the county who support the bill, “and they are still coming in.”

Unfortunately, the bill is now dead.

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