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: ⚠️ Caution
SF 39 would help long-term homeowners, particularly seniors, remain in their homes by reducing ongoing property tax burdens. That stability can preserve community continuity and help families maintain roots in their towns. However, property taxes fund schools. If local schools have bloated budgets, this policy may force school officials to reduce unnecessary programs while preserving academic excellence. If these cuts would make it more difficult to teach children, this could hurt long-term prosperity.
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
By lowering property tax obligations for qualifying homeowners, SF 39 can increase individual financial resilience and reduce reliance on income-based assistance programs. Permanently shrinking local tax bases may increase dependence on state backfills or future tax increases elsewhere.
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
SF 39 strengthens private property rights by reducing the government's recurring financial claim on long-held primary residences. Making the exemption permanent increases predictability and security for property owners who have contributed to Wyoming's tax base for decades. This aligns well with the principle that individuals should be able to retain and use their property without excessive or uncertain government encumbrance.
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: ⚠️ Caution
The bill operates within a clearly defined constitutional role of the legislature: setting tax policy. It does not expand regulatory authority or delegate new powers to administrative agencies. However, permanently layering exemptions into the tax code can incrementally reduce transparency over time, especially if exemptions are not paired with broader simplification.
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
SF 39 lowers taxes for eligible homeowners but does so by permanently narrowing the property tax base. Fiscal analyses indicate this would reduce revenues for schools and local governments ($47 million in FY 2028) without a corresponding reduction in mandated spending. While tax relief is a legitimate policy goal, responsible taxation typically requires either spending reductions, base broadening, or replacement revenue.
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
Individual homeowners may benefit from a lower property tax bill every year. However, by making the exemption permanent statewide, SF 39 limits the ability of local governments to respond to their own fiscal conditions. Counties and school districts retain responsibility for service delivery but lose flexibility over a major revenue source. This shifts control upward to the state and away from local decision-makers, reducing local autonomy in tax policy.
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: ✅ Passes
Lower property taxes increases disposable income for affected homeowners, which can enhance individual choice in spending, saving, or investing.
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?
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Final Verdict: Caution on WyLiberty Policy Compass
Score: 2 Pass | 5 Caution | 0 Fail | 3 Not Applicable
Summary:
SF 39 (2026) scores positively on 2 of 7 considered Compass Points. Currently, Wyoming homeowners 65 years of age or older and who have paid property tax in Wyoming for 25 years may apply every year for a 50% reduction in property taxes. This exemption would be repealed in 2027 without further legislation. Senate File 39 proposes to eliminate the sunset provision on Wyoming's long-term homeowner property tax exemption, making the benefit permanent. The exemption currently reduces property tax for qualifying long-term homeowners, and under this bill the exemption would continue indefinitely. Additional funds would need to be found to meet the minimum standards of the Public School Foundation fund, which is administered by the state. SF 39 would take effect on July 1, 2026.