Albany County voters decide on $95 million sixth-penny tax today

Albany County voters cast ballots Tuesday on a $95 million sixth-penny tax that would reshape some of the biggest public spaces people use every week, from the courthouse and county offices to the fairgrounds and Laramie Regional Airport. A yes vote would fund capital projects only, while a no vote would leave those upgrades without the countywide sales-tax money local officials set aside for them.

The measure called for a one-percent specific purpose sales and use excise tax, with nearly half the package directed to the City of Laramie. County documents put Albany County’s share at $43,769,250, the City of Laramie’s at $45,555,750, and the airport share at $4,000,000. The ballot package also included Rock River projects, tying one tax decision to multiple corners of the county at once.

For Albany County residents, the most visible county-side project was a $39,583,063 plan for a new county services building and a remodel of the Albany County Courthouse. The same county share set aside $4,186,187 for the Albany County Fairgrounds, including replacement of the grandstands, concession stands, ticket booth, crow’s nest and restrooms, along with arena and rodeo improvements. County officials also proposed up-front bond financing of up to $13,500,000 to help pay for part of those projects, with a maturity of up to 14 years and a maximum interest rate of 5.75 percent.

The airport piece was just as concrete. The Laramie Regional Airport’s $4,000,000 share would help with runway, taxiway, apron, snow-removal, deicing, gate and fencing work, along with critical maintenance for airport buildings. County materials said those improvements support commercial air service, public safety operations and economic development, making the tax question about more than a line on a ballot.

Voting was open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and residents could use any county vote center rather than a traditional precinct site. The listed locations were the Albany County Fairgrounds, Albany County Public Library, Laramie Ice Event Center, Municipal Operations Center and Rock River Town Hall. Wyoming elections are administered by the county clerk under state law, and county guidance said voters could use a Wyoming driver’s license, U.S. passport, government-issued ID, tribal ID, University of Wyoming or Wyoming school ID, military ID or dependent ID.

The scale of the proposal, and the fact that representatives from Albany County, Laramie and Rock River met Sept. 15, 2025, to discuss the allocation, showed how far the sixth penny reaches beyond a single building or street. If approved, it would channel local sales-tax revenue into large projects residents would see for years; if rejected, those capital plans would stay on paper.