Wyoming residents must decide what kind of future they want

We've said it before, but with less than two months until the start of the 68th Wyoming Legislature's budget session, it needs to be said again.

Wyoming residents must decide what kind of future they want, and then clearly communicate it to those in the halls of power.

The good news is that seems to be happening, at least when it comes to the impact of last week's topic – an outrageously ill-informed proposal to eliminate personal property tax and replace it with a hike in the state's 4% sales tax. If letters to the editor are any indication, residents are realizing the potentially drastic impact this would have on basic local services, such as fire and police protection, infrastructure and public schools.

But taxes are just one part of a larger problem for the Cowboy State – its economy. 

It's at this point that some longtime residents choose to check out, convinced that there's nothing wrong with living in a state where the overall tax burden is very low (47th lowest, by some estimates) and the population is sparse. Sure, things could always be better, they'll say, but overall, they're pretty darned good.

We don't disagree those things are nice, and we are certainly proud of our generous and friendly communities and great outdoor recreation areas. However, we also believe it's a shortsighted point of view.

You don't have to be a Harvard economist to notice the mass exodus of young adults from Wyoming. The University of Wyoming reports that 70% of recent UW grads and other young adults are leaving, headed for larger cities in neighboring states. And sorry, folks, but most of them aren't coming back.

That so-called "boomerang effect" is one of nearly a dozen "myths" about the state's current situation that staff at the Wyoming Business Council assert are holding us back, and are trying to dispel – if only people will listen with an open mind.

On Monday, WBC CEO Josh Dorrell shared a presentation with our editorial board that he has been giving to chambers of commerce, civic groups and others in communities statewide since a scientific survey of Wyoming residents was conducted in September.

During his presentation, he reminded us of the state's increasingly graying population. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, between 2020 and 2024, the number of people 65 and older in Wyoming increased by 3.2%, while the overall population grew just 0.4%. With the number of people under 18 dropping by 4.5% during the same timeframe, the writing is on the wall that the labor needed to meet the needs of older residents just isn't going to be there – if it is now.

Survey of voter attitudes

Mr. Dorrell said the WBC survey was commissioned as a way to see if what they were hearing from people in many parts of the state was true. Do Wyoming residents really not want the state to grow?

Conducted from Sept. 20-24 by The Tarrance Group, the telephone survey of 500 likely voters included 75 people from Laramie and Natrona counties; 50 each from Albany, Campbell and Sheridan counties; and 200 from the rest of the state. It has a margin of error of 4.5%. It reflects a diversity of opinions across the state, and reveals several undeniable takeaways. (Read the results yourself at tinyurl.com/wbc-2025-survey.)

Only 18% of those surveyed said the state's economy is "Strong and growing," while 29% said it is "Growing, but not enough." A combined total of 42% described their view as "Slightly downside" (20%), "Approaching recession" (15%) or "Recession" (7%).

Of those surveyed, 65% said they would favor their "local town or community growing the population ... to support more economic opportunities and jobs." While 31% were opposed, 4% were unsure.

Those who took the survey were asked, "Which of the following do you think local government should prioritize working on in contributing to economic development?" A total of 29% said local government should work to attract new businesses, 36% said support existing businesses, 29% said invest in infrastructure improvements, 16% said support workforce training and education, and 3% said promote tourism. Just 23% said reforming taxes was a priority for local government. (More than one answer was accepted, which is why the total exceeds 100%.)

Conservatives may say it's not government's role to create jobs, but the strong majority of those surveyed do want their local government doing that (see slides 15-25). Almost as many prioritized funding strategic economic development efforts. We agree there should be some emphasis on things like replacing aging water and sewer systems and adding infrastructure needed by industries that will move to wherever such systems are already in place. Further cutting property taxes for everyone in a state that already has one of the lowest rates in the country is not wise (our statement, not WBC's).

And that leads to another myth WBC is challenging: "Nobody wants taxes to increase." In fact, 35% of those surveyed said they would support slightly higher taxes if the money were used specifically to bring jobs and economic opportunities to their community. In answer to another question, 45% of survey participants said they think better job opportunities would convince or allow their children or grandchildren to return to Wyoming.

Conclusion

All of this points to a gap between the perception of some state lawmakers and what Wyoming residents actually want.

It also points to a need for bold leadership when it comes to expanding the state's economy beyond our legacy industries. One such effort the Business Council is currently undertaking is exploring the state's potential to become a leader when it comes to "critical minerals," which include the rare-earth minerals essential to computer chips found in most high-tech devices. (WBC will host an online community conversation about this topic at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17. Go online to wbc.pub/BWF_Rocks to register.)

Does the Business Council have all of the answers? Of course not. But we're glad they don't claim they do.

What they do have is the expertise and resources to help local communities work through their challenges and address the changes they need to make to successfully retain and attract the workforce essential to the state's future.

The old adage that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results definitely applies to Wyoming's economy. The question is whether residents are ready to support leaders willing to dig in and do the hard work that will be required to break the cycle.