Mill levies approved by county

The Sweetwater County Commissioners approved the annual mill levy distributions Tuesday morning.

The mill levies represent property tax distributions to the county’s school districts, as well as special districts such as the Castle Rock Hospital District and the Jamestown-Rio Vista Water and Sewer District.

A mill levy is a rate applied to a property’s assessed value. One mill is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value within a district or the county.

The county itself receives a 12 mill levy, which based off of the $2.1 billion assessed valuation of the county, resulting in $25.8 million in tax revenue. Of that amount, $19.5 million will go into the county’s general fund, while Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County receives $561,249, the Sweetwater County Library System receives $2.5 million, the events complex will receive $1.7 million, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum will receive $280,000 and Southwest Counseling Service will receive $675,234.

Sweetwater County School District No. 2’s mill levy generated $25.7 million in revenue at its 25 mill level. Castle Rock Hospital District’s 3 mills generated $2.4 million in tax revenue, while the Jamestown-Rio Vista Water and Sewer District and the area’s fire district generated $23,365 and $14,596 respectively. The water and sewer district is funded at eight mills within its boundaries, while the fire district is funded at three mills.

David Divis, chief deputy of the Sweetwater County Assessor’s Office, said the process of approving a mill levy distribution involves the Wyoming Department of Revenue, which reviews the tax authorities within the county.

After the review and budget hearings hosted by those tax authorities, they work with the county assessor’s office and county clerk’s office and the mill levies are approved by the commissioners.

The approved levies are then sent to the state board of equalization for final approval.

“There are a lot of hands in the process,” Divis said. “We all have to work together to ensure the process goes smoothly.”

Other business

The Sweetwater County Commissioners denied a request from the Wyoming Water Development Commission to help fund its cloud seeding project in the Wind River Mountain Range.

The request comes after cuts made by the state resulted in decreased funding for the project. Commissioner Wally Johnson said the state has more than enough money the program, saying the project is a worthwhile one.

Commissioner John Kolb said residents in California benefit most from the program and believes the water development commission should seek funding from communities and states downstream from Wyoming.

 

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