Albany County voters to decide $95 million sixth-penny tax renewal

A $100 checkout bill would carry another $1 in sales tax if Albany County voters renew the sixth-penny SPET on May 5, keeping a voter-approved stream alive for roads, public buildings and other capital work across Laramie and Rock River. The special election asks whether the county may impose a 1% specific purpose sales and use excise tax and raise $95 million over roughly the next decade.

Albany County residents and visitors already pay six cents in sales tax on every dollar spent. The first four pennies are set by the state, the fifth penny covers local government operations, and the sixth penny is the discretionary SPET that can continue only until it reaches a fixed dollar cap. The 2018 SPET, which voters approved eight years ago, is nearing its target of almost $66 million and has helped pay for projects including the Laramie Fire Department training facility, major street repairs and upgrades at the Laramie Recreation Center.

If the new measure passes, the average household would pay about $16 a month, according to a city of Laramie analysis cited in the county’s planning materials. The money would be split among Albany County, the City of Laramie, Laramie Regional Airport and the Town of Rock River, with the county set to receive $43,769,250, the city $45,555,750, the airport $4,000,000 and Rock River $1,675,000.

The county’s share would go toward a new county services building, a remodel of the Albany County Courthouse and upgrades at the Albany County Fairgrounds, including grandstands and arena and rodeo facilities. The ballot language also allows up-front funding through as much as $13.5 million in general obligation bonds, which would mature within 14 years and carry a maximum interest rate of 5.75%.

Laramie’s list is even longer. City funds would support Police Headquarters design and construction, a new animal shelter, Fire Station 1, surface water drainage projects, sidewalk improvements, Community Recreation Center improvements, Bill Nye Avenue, street maintenance and paving Harrison Street. The airport would get $4 million for capital needs, while Rock River would receive $1.675 million for its own share of the package.

City and county officials spent months shaping the proposal before putting it on the ballot. Albany County’s resolution says commissioners discussed projects in several public meetings and met with representatives from Laramie and Rock River on Sept. 15, 2025, to settle the total and allocation. Mayor Sharon Cumbie has backed the measure, tying it to long-term infrastructure needs and the earlier SPET’s record. If voters reject the renewal, the county and its municipalities lose a major source of planned capital funding, and the projects on the list would have to wait for another financing path.