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Dear editor:
I write as a Cody resident and as a proud trustee of Northwest College. I will be voting NO on Proposition 1 in the upcoming general election, and I encourage my neighbors to do the …
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Dear editor:
I write as a Cody resident and as a proud trustee of Northwest College. I will be voting NO on Proposition 1 in the upcoming general election, and I encourage my neighbors to do the same.
Property tax relief is a legitimate concern in Wyoming, and our Legislature has taken valuable steps to address it. Since 2023, lawmakers have passed one constitutional amendment and five separate bills resulting in significant property tax alleviation to Wyoming residents.
These existing relief measures are meaningful, and they also have a cost. NWC has already absorbed about $1.6 million in lost revenue from these existing measures, and Prop 1 would cost NWC nearly $500,000 additionally each year. Those lost dollars represent the programs that can’t grow, the instructors whose positions can’t be replaced, and the needed building repairs deferred another year.
Likewise, the funding brought about by our property taxes allows first-generation students to find their footing as a college student, offers working parents opportunities to gain new skills, gives local businesses a place to find and retain skilled employees, and provides our rural communities access to high-quality education close to home. Our property taxes ensure our college remains a vital and vibrant gathering place for learning, culture, and opportunity across the Big Horn Basin.
Education is one of the most powerful investments we can make in our future. As our society enters a time of profound and rapid change brought about by AI and related technologies, adapting to an unknown future is of vital importance. To face this future, we must invest more, not less, in the knowledge, experiences, and skills that NWC and our entire public education system provides. We must ensure that we as individuals, and our community at large, can readily adapt, retrain, and remain viable in the face of this emerging evolution.
If you believe, as I do, that NWC’s future, and our community’s future as a whole, is a sound investment, please join me in voting NO on Proposition 1.
Tara Kuipers
Trustee, Northwest College, Cody
