More homeowners qualify for a refund on their property taxes this year, and it appears hundreds of Park County residents are taking advantage of the opportunity.

As of midday Tuesday, Park County Treasurer Barb Poley said her office had helped 754 homeowners apply for the Wyoming Property Tax Refund Program. For comparison, only 384 Park County homeowners — or about half as many — applied last year.

Poley’s figure is also an undercount, as it doesn’t include the local residents who’ve submitted their applications directly to the state. Plus, taxpayers still have until Monday to apply.

“We have them still coming in today,” Poley said Tuesday. “It’s amazing.”

She thinks her office’s efforts to spread the word about the refunds — including advertising and multiple meetings in Powell, Cody and Meeteetse — have “really helped” drive awareness. Park County Assessor Pat Meyer has also been encouraging eligible residents to apply for refunds, including via instructions on the back of property owners’ assessment notices. Gov. Mark Gordon’s administration — which has predicted some 6,000 households will qualify — issued a reminder on Friday.

County residents can qualify for refunds on their 2022 property taxes if they lived in the home for at least nine months last year, have lived in Wyoming for at least five years, have paid all their taxes and their household income was no more than $86,400 last year. They also can’t have more than $150,000 worth of assets per adult in the household (excluding the home, one vehicle per adult and retirement accounts).

Legislators significantly expanded the criteria during their 2022 session. Prior to the changes, homeowners would have only qualified this year if their household made less than $51,840 and held no more than  $100,000 worth of assets per adult.

Taxpayers can also get more money back: up to 75% of what they paid the prior year (capped at $1,140 in Park County), instead of the previous limit of 50%.

Skyrocketing property values in Park County have undoubtedly inspired more people to apply for relief this year. Home values in the county shot up by an average of 24% in 2021 and, as residents recently learned, jumped another 16% last year. Residents will feel the latest hit when tax rates are finalized this summer.

The surge, fueled in part by people moving in from other states, has led to calls for the Legislature to provide relief.

Over the winter, state lawmakers considered well over a dozen bills on property taxes — including some that would have limited how many dollars local governments can collect — but the refund program revamp was one of only three to clear both chambers. The Joint Revenue Committee is set to reexamine the issue in the interim.

As Poley has visited with local residents about the expanded refund program, “the first thing out of their mouth is they’re upset about their taxes,” she said, but “they’re just grateful they have something like this [program].”

For more information, visit wptrs.wyo.gov, call the Park County Treasurer’s Office at 307-527-8630 for local assistance or call the Wyoming Department of Revenue at 307-777-7320.