WY 2026 HJ 4 - Residential Property Tax Value – Constitutional Amendment

1. Enduring Local Prosperity

Will this policy encourage families to set down roots, leading to long-term economic development through better local opportunities for the next generation?

Result: ✅ Passes

HJ 4 has the potential to support long-term local prosperity by giving lawmakers constitutional flexibility to treat residential property differently from other property classes. If used to moderate rising home valuations and tax burdens, this authority could help families remain in their homes, stabilize neighborhoods, and preserve community continuity.If non-elected community leaders find ways to replace local government services that would be cut following these reduced cuts, this could help communities thrive.This proposal does not itself reduce taxes or limit spending, its impact on prosperity depends entirely on follow-up legislation. HJ 4 relies on the prolonged adherence to free-market principles by current and future legislators, a worrying consideration

2. Flexible Self-Reliance
Does this policy give individuals, communities and/or the state the flexibility to adapt to changing political and economic circumstances? Will this help individuals and communities move away from ongoing reliance on government programs, subsidies and mandates, and toward independence and resilience?

Result: ⚠️ Caution

HJ 4 increases institutional flexibility by removing a constitutional barrier that currently prevents targeted residential property tax policy. This flexibility could empower households to remain self-reliant by reducing cost pressures that push families toward assistance or displacement. At the same time, flexibility cuts both ways: the amendment allows differential treatment but does not require restraint. If the Legislature substitutes complex exemptions or selective relief programs for broad tax reform, it could increase dependence on political decision-making rather than resilience.

3. Private Property Rights

Does this policy remove institutional barriers, so that individuals or businesses may more easily use their land, property and labor in ways that do not violate the rights of others?

Result: ✅ Passes

HJ 4 modestly strengthens property rights in principle by recognizing that residential property has unique characteristics distinct from commercial or industrial uses. Creating a separate residential classification may allow protections for owner-occupied homes that are currently unconstitutional. However, the amendment also expands legislative discretion over valuation and classification, which could weaken uniformity protections if misused. The net effect on property rights is therefore conditional: potentially positive if it limits tax pressure on homes, but risky if it enables unequal or politicized treatment of property owners.

4. Transparent Constitutional Government

Is this policy limited to carrying out the functions of a small and transparent government as described in the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions, while dividing power appropriately between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of Wyoming's government?

Result: ✅ Passes

HJ 4 improves transparency in one important respect: it clarifies that differential treatment of residential property must be explicitly authorized by the Constitution rather than achieved through workarounds or legal ambiguity. Voters would knowingly grant this authority through a constitutional amendment. However, accountability risks remain. Once the authority exists, future tax shifts could occur through ordinary legislation without additional voter approval, making it harder for citizens to track who bears the true tax burden over time.

As a constitutional amendment, HJ 4 expands the scope of legislative authority rather than constraining it. It removes a clear constitutional limit on how property may be classified for taxation. While supporters argue this authority is necessary to respond to changing conditions, from a limited-government lens the resolution is neutral at best. It does not reduce government size, spending, or taxing power; instead, it increases policy discretion. Whether that discretion is used to limit government or expand it is left entirely to future lawmakers.

5. Responsible Taxation & Spending

Question:Will this policy reduce government spending, broaden the tax base, simplify tax policy or lower tax/fee intake?

Result: ⚠️ Caution

By allowing residential property to be treated separately, HJ 4departsfrom strict tax neutrality across property types. While this may be justified to protect housing stability, it also opens the door to market distortion if tax burdens are shifted unevenly onto businesses, rentals, or agricultural land. Such shifts could discourage investment or raise costs that are ultimately passed back to consumers and renters.

From a free-market perspective, the amendment is acceptable only if paired with broad-based restraint rather than redistribution within the tax base.

6. Local and State Control

Will this policy return power to Wyoming families or local governments from state government? Or will this policy transfer power to state government from the federal government?

Result: ⚠️ Caution

The amendment may indirectly support local control by giving state policymakers the tools to respond to housing pressures that vary across communities. Stable residential taxation can help maintain community cohesion and prevent displacement driven by valuation spikes. That said, because property taxes fund local governments, changes enabled by HJ 4 could also constrain local budgets if the state authorizes relief without corresponding reforms. This creates tension between homeowner relief and local fiscal autonomy.

7. Voluntary Exchange & Individual Choice

Does this policy remove obstacles from business and consumers engaging in voluntary, mutually beneficial transactions, ultimately giving consumers more choices?

Result: N/A

8. Profit Motive & Fair Competition

Does this policy encourage entrepreneurs and businesses to seek profits through calculated risks based on market prices rather than government signals, lowering prices for consumers?

Result: N/A

9. Electoral Accountability

Does this policy assist Wyomingites in voting more securely and/or easily for eligible candidates in transparent elections for public office? Or provide mechanisms for holding elected or nonelected officials accountable for their actions to the people of Wyoming?

Result: N/A

10. Generational Resource Stewardship

Would this policy ensure Wyoming's natural resources can be shared across current and future generations of Wyomingites?

⚠️

Final Verdict: Risk to Liberty & Markets

Score: 3 Pass | 3 Caution | 0 Fail | 4 Not Applicable

Summary:

While it may contain helpful elements, this policy carries risks that could undermine liberty, free markets, or state authority. These may stem from vague language, unintended consequences, or a shift in power away from citizens or Wyoming itself.