Talking taxes

The Specific Purpose Sales Tax (SPOT) has become a topic of discussion for both the Moorcroft and Pine Haven town councils. This tax is the sixth penny added to the obligated four cents and general purpose fifth cent tax in Wyoming.

Unlike those taxes, however, voters do not authorize it to run for a set amount of time. Instead, the request placed on the ballot is for a specific amount of money, which is then collected only until the total has been reached.

SPOT is considered crucial for municipal infrastructure throughout the state and, in Crook County, entities feel the tax is particularly needed. The effects of this critical revenue source are important to citizens, though not necessarily visible; much of it is buried with the water and sewer lines under the smooth asphalted streets of town.

The “Penny” signs that pop up around town are also intended to show citizens where the SPOT revenue was spent.

This tax runs until the approved upon amount is reached and the amount to which the voters agreed at last election has been reached, so that sixth penny is not currently part of the sales tax.

“Right now, it’s gone from six percent [sales tax] back to five percent and [that difference] probably hasn’t even been noticed,” Pine Haven Councilwoman Karla Brandenburg noted earlier in the week.

At a meeting of all county entities last week, the towns and county were all in agreement to place SPOT on this year’s ballot. Two options were introduced for consideration, namely whether to present the SPOT at the primary elections or wait until November and set the tax on the general ballot.

Each option has its own variables; the primary would allow the SPOT to be considered without the “competing” with so many other considerations, but, according to Moorcroft Councilman Owen Mathews, “I don’t know if it would be likely to pass on the primary as high as on the general; it has a better chance of passing at the general elections because of the better turn out.”

State law does not allow any of the governments to promote or campaign for the tax, so councils and commissioners are carefully reticent in their speech so as not to influence potential voters.

SPOT Facts

* An optional tax with a strictly defined purpose, voters are asked to approve a specific dollar amount for a specific set of projects.

* The tax will only remain in effect until this amount has been collected.

* Once the total has been reached, no matter how long that takes, the tax will automatically switch off. Near the end of 2019, the SPOT voted into being at the 2014 elections reached its $6.25 million total.

* Each town and the county received an equal $1.25 million share of that $6.25 million total.