June 22, 2023
Meeting Summary
Presiding: Jamie Terry
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving: Tom Mangan & Team
Inspiration:
Professor’s Quote: Tom Wolfe
Foundation Flash:
Introduction of Guests: Dave Hansen
Guests: Kelly Neville introduced prospective member, Justin Christenson; Tony Hoch introduced prospective member, Keith Rittle
Visiting Rotarians:
Junior Rotarians/RYLA/Young RYLA/Exchange Students:
Rotaract/Interact Students:
Humor: Terry Roark
Foundation Drawing: Doug Faus won $10 with $334 in the jackpot.
O’Dwyers Drawing: Keith Downey
 
Announcements:
  • June is Rotary Fellowship month.
  • Don’t forget to attend Amanda’s going away party on June 30 at Washington Park.
Upcoming Programs:
  • July 6: Youth Exchange, Amanda Nilsson
  • July 20: UW School of Computing, Judy Ann Yates
  • July 27: Cowboy Joe Club, Randy Welniak
 
Rotarian of the Week: Terry Roark nominated Murray Schroeder for his work on bingo; Tom Mangan nominated Paul Montoya for helping fix the sound system; Jamie Terry nominated Steve Morgan for being accepted to a national board; Murray Schroeder nominated Keith Downey for buying him a beer.
 
Songs: Springtime in the Rockies; In the Good Old Summer Time
 
Program: County Assessor, Chelsie Matthews
 
Introduction: Kerry Greaser
 
County Assessor, Chelsie Matthews, explained property values and taxes. The three main responsibilities of the county assessor’s office are to locate, identify, and list all taxable property within Albany County. The office tracks all ownership, boundary lines, square footage, and physical details of each property.
 
The Assessor is governed by the Wyoming Constitution, state statute, the Wyoming Department of Revenue, and the State Board of Equalization.
 
Home, land, and business owners pay property tax. To obtain the needed info, the Assessor has a team of two that inspect every property, every six years. This is done through interviews, questionnaires, building permits, aerial photos, and real estate listings.
 
The value is determined by the market using sales from the prior year for current sales of similar properties. The properties go through a fair and uniform process.
 
To determine the value, the first step is to place a value on the land only. Then the Assessor looks at any buildings based on the cost of replacing it today and depreciation.
 
Wyoming is a fractional assessment state, meaning that owners pay taxes on a fraction system. This is 11.5 percent for industrial and 9.5 percent for other properties, including homes.
 
If you think your property value is wrong, you do have a 30-day period to appeal.
 
Once values are set, this determines the mill levy and taxation levels. A mill is $1 for each $1,000 in assessed property value. The mill supports schools, governments, hospitals, roads, weed and pest, county agencies, and Laramie Rivers Conservation District.
 
For business owners, they also pay a personal property tax that is accessed by the office. Business owners submit a list of personal property and are taxed on these items each year. Agriculture land is based on production and is related to soil and acreage.
 
There are also tax-exempt owners in Albany County. These owners do not pay property tax and include governmental agencies, UW, some religious purposes. There is a large amount of these in Albany County.
 
Wyoming ranks 44th for property taxes, so it is one of the lowest. There are two forms of property tax relief in Wyoming. The Veteran’s Exemption is available for those veteran’s that can meet the qualification. You could qualify for $200 off of property taxes OR $90 off your vehicle registration each year. Qualifying surviving spouses may also be eligible.
 
The other is the Wyoming Property Tax Refund. There is a list of qualifications for this as well, including that you own the property, pay taxes in a timely manner, have been a Wyoming resident for the past five years, and that you occupy the residence for no less than 9 months of the tax year. Other qualifications are related to assets and income.
 
Response: John Bard
 
Response: The Rotary Club of Laramie will make a donation to the public library children’s book fund in the speaker’s name.
NOTE: We Do Not Donate a Book!
 
Rotary 4-way test
Of the things we think, say, or do:
•Is it the Truth?
•Is it Fair?
•Will it build Good Will and Better Friendships?
•Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?
Like us on Facebook!
 
Spoke Editor: Caitlin White, 307-630-1965, cwhite@acplwy.org