One-cent tax will not be added right away

Thermopolis and Hot Springs County residents voted in favor of the formation of the Hot Springs County Hospital District through a mill levy and additional one-cent specific purpose tax Nov. 8.

The amount raised from the three-mill levy will provide operating revenue for Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital and the specific purpose tax will go toward remodeling and adding on to the hospital.

Now the question becomes, “When will my taxes go up and when does the one-cent tax begin?”

County Treasurer Julie Mortimore said Wyoming statutes determine when the specific purpose tax goes into effect.

First, Mortimore must receive a certification of the election from the county clerk’s office.

Within 10 days of that certification, Mortimore must then notify the Wyoming Department of Revenue.

Sixty days from the time of that notice, the tax will go into effect.

According to Mortimore, the earliest estimate she can make, based on the statute, would be April 1, 2017.

The mill levy is a little easier to determine.

Your taxes will increase with the 2017 round of property taxes.

If the county valuation remains level, the total amount raised by the three-mill levy will be approximately $418,000 for the year.

However, if valuation drops at the rate it is estimated to, based on oil and gas production, that amount could be just $209,000 for the year.

The question has been raised as well, could the mill levy be increased?

County Assessor Shelley Deromedi indicated that yes, it could, up to three additional mills, but according to state statutes, the hospital district’s board could ask for additional mills, but the increase must be approved by public vote.