FAQs

Learn more about the proposed initiative, how funding works, what services are included, and why these services matter to Fremont County communities.

  • The proposed sales tax would provide dedicated funding support for:

    • EMS and ambulance services

    • public transportation services

    • commercial air service

    The initiative is designed to help stabilize and strengthen these essential countywide services for communities across Fremont County.

  • Fremont County is a large rural county where emergency response, public transportation access, and regional connectivity are essential to daily life. The proposed ¾ penny sales tax is intended to help support reliable services that residents, businesses, workers, seniors, and visitors depend on every day.

  • Using a sales tax instead of a property tax increase helps distribute the responsibility more broadly across residents, visitors, and travelers who use services throughout Fremont County. For many rural communities, this provides support for important countywide services without relying solely on local property tax increases.

  • The same purchased items you pay sales taxes on today would be taxed an additional ¾ penny per dollar if the initiative is approved by voters. Groceries and medical prescriptions are not included as taxable items. Additionally, goods and supplies needed for agricultural production (farming and ranching) are not taxed.

    For reference, the ¾ penny sales tax equals 75 cents on a $100 purchase.

  • Reliable ambulance service is critical in a county with long distances, rural roads, outdoor recreation, agricultural industries, and growing emergency response demands. Emergency response times can vary significantly across Fremont County, especially in rural areas.

    Funding support helps stabilize and strengthen:

    • ambulance availability

    • staffing and response capacity

    • equipment and fleet needs

    • countywide emergency readiness

    When emergencies happen, response time matters.

  • Transportation services support seniors, working families, rural residents, and individuals who may not always have access to reliable transportation. This helps those who need it when it comes to:

    • healthcare appointments

    • work opportunities

    • childcare and school

    • groceries and essential services

    • community activities

    Funding may support multiple qualifying public transportation providers throughout Fremont County, not just a single transportation system.

  • Commercial air service helps keep Fremont County connected to healthcare, business, tourism, workforce recruitment, education, and family travel, and to economic markets around the globe.

    Reliable air access supports:

    • healthcare recruitment and retention

    • business and professional travel

    • job creation and retention

    • visitor spending and tourism

    • economic competitiveness

    • access to opportunities outside the county

  • All three of these services have direct impact on maintaining a healthy economy in Fremont County, in addition to providing a quality of life that makes the area attractive to the workforce and growing new business. But more importantly, true to the Wyoming spirit, the combination speaks to neighbors helping neighbors. One household may have a greater need for ambulance service while another needs public transportation while the employer down the block needs air service. Because this is a sales tax shared by all, a portion of one person’s contribution covers what matters most to them, and a bit of what matters most to their neighbor, while the neighbor does the same for that person.

  • Funding generated through the proposed ¾ penny sales tax would be distributed to Fremont County and participating municipalities based on population formulas established through the Wyoming sales tax structure. Communities with larger populations receive a larger share of funding, while countywide funding also supports services that benefit residents across Fremont County.

    The municipalities agree on what portion of the funds goes to each service through a Memorandum of Agreement. Currently the MOA designates 54% for ambulance services, 31% for air service and 15% for public transportation. Over the next four years, those shares could change based on changes that occur in the economy, but only if all of the municipalities are in agreement. The funds can only be used in these three service areas and can not be allocated to any other kind of endeavor.

    Counties and municipalities may work with designated citizen committees, partner organizations, service providers, and local leadership to help review needs and make recommendations related to eligible services and projects.

    The goal is to make sure funding decisions remain locally informed while exclusively supporting essential countywide services such as EMS, public transportation, and commercial air service.

  • Funds generated through the Fremont County essential services sales tax would be dedicated specifically to ambulance, air service, and ground transportation services as outlined in the ballot measure. The use of funds would be subject to public oversight, budgeting processes, and regular financial reporting requirements, as set up in the Memorandum of Agreement.

    Revenue would be distributed only to approved service providers and used for essential operations, equipment, staffing, maintenance, and long-term sustainability efforts tied directly to these critical community services. As with other public funding mechanisms, expenditures would remain subject to audits, transparency requirements, and oversight by local governing entities to help ensure funds are used responsibly and as intended.

    In addition, community members would continue to have access to public meetings, budget information, and reporting processes that provide visibility into how funds are allocated and utilized over time.

  • Yes.

    Many transportation and service-related grants require local matching funds in order to qualify for state and federal funding opportunities.

    For example, the funding needed to ensure air service is primarily provided by the state at 60% with a 40% local match. Public transportation receives a number of different kinds of grant funding through the federal government, some covering 80% of certain services but requiring a 20% local match. 

    Without local investment, communities can lose access to this outside funding that helps strengthen and maintain essential services.

  • Communities across Fremont County would benefit from strengthened emergency response, transportation access, and global connectivity. 

    This includes:

    • Riverton

    • Lander

    • Dubois

    • Shoshoni

    • Hudson

    • Pavillion

    • rural communities throughout the county

    • the Wind River Indian Reservation

  • Rural communities often face the greatest challenges related to:

    • emergency response times

    • transportation access

    • healthcare connectivity

    • workforce access

    Reliable countywide services help support residents across large geographic areas where access and distance matter every day.

    The proposed sales tax structure also helps spread the cost more broadly instead of relying only on local property taxes within smaller communities.

  • The initiative supports essential community services that affect real people and their daily lives. They also help strengthen workforce access, healthcare connectivity, tourism, local business activity, and long-term community stability.

    Strong emergency response, transportation access, and global connectivity all help communities remain safe, accessible, and prepared for the future, making them viable and stable for new and existing businesses and opportunities.

  • Previous countywide sales tax collections demonstrate that a dedicated sales tax can generate millions of dollars annually for the county and municipalities. Actual revenue will vary depending on economic activity and collections throughout Fremont County.

  • 99% of the sales tax revenue generated through the initiative remains within Fremont County and participating communities to support local services and community needs, while the state keeps 1% to cover administration. The goal is to keep local dollars working locally to strengthen essential services across the county.

  • Community involvement is key to keeping local voices part of the conversation about Fremont County’s future.

    Residents can:

    • participate in the community survey

    • attend local conversations and presentations

    • share information with friends and neighbors

    • follow updates from Forward Fremont County

    • share social media posts

    • help encourage community awareness and participation

Myth vs. Fact

  • FACT: This proposal is a common sense local investment in essential services that Fremont County residents rely on every day, including ambulance response, public transportation, and commercial air service.

    The proposed ¾ penny sales tax is the funding mechanism, but the focus of the initiative is protecting emergency response, transportation access, and business growth for the future.

  • FACT: The proposed funding is dedicated specifically to:

    • EMS and ambulance services

    • public transportation services

    • commercial air service

    The funding is tied to the language of the initiative itself and is exclusively for the use of these essential countywide services. Funding distribution and use would involve local municipal governments, participating communities, service providers, and formal agreements that outline how funds are allocated and used. Communities and governing bodies maintain oversight responsibilities related to funding decisions and implementation.

    Fund distribution is governed by a Memorandum of Agreement between the municipalities with the expected distribution to be 54% to ambulance, 31% to air service and 15% to public transportation. Changes to that distribution can only be made with consent of all of the involved municipalities.

    This is not a general fund tax that can simply be redirected toward unrelated projects or expenses.

  • FACT: This initiative is built to align with Wyoming values, where neighbors help neighbors and we ride for the brand, or the common good.  Unlike a property tax increase, a sales tax spreads the responsibility more broadly across residents, visitors, travelers, and people doing business in Fremont County.

    That means tourists, visitors, reservation residents and non-residents who might use or need local emergency services, and benefit from public transportation or air service also contribute when they spend in the participating municipalities.

    Additionally, as with all Wyoming taxable items, groceries, prescription medicines and expenses related to agricultural production are not taxed on sales. 

    For many rural communities, this approach helps support essential services without relying solely on strained local property taxes.

    A ¾ penny sales tax equals 75 cents on a $100 purchase.  To give you an idea of impact, if you purchased a brand new, 55-inch flat screen tv for $198 at Walmart, you’d pay an additional $1.49. If you went to Murdoch’s and bought a new throw blanket for $35, you’d pay an additional $0.26. And if you went to Tractor Supply Co. and bought a new 12-foot gate for $139 for your home, you’d pay an additional $1.04.

  • FACT: Emergency response, transportation access, and air service that connects business to the globe are becoming more expensive to maintain across rural communities nationwide.

    Fremont County faces unique challenges related to:

    • long emergency response distances

    • aging ambulance fleets and infrastructure

    • increasing service demand

    • workforce and healthcare access challenges

    • rising operational costs

    This initiative is designed to help stabilize and strengthen services residents already rely on.

  • FACT: People in rural communities often have the greatest need for reliable ambulance response and transportation access. Long travel distances, limited transportation options, and rural emergency response challenges make these services especially important outside larger population centers.

    Employers have a stake in access to markets that air service supports, and those businesses do tend to be located in our cities, but the employees that work in, and benefit from those jobs live all over the county.

    Countywide services help protect access for residents throughout Fremont County, including rural communities and the Wind River Indian Reservation.

    That’s why this initiative is such a common sense way to ensure essential services that meet the needs of the whole county.

  • FACT: Commercial air service supports much more than individual travel. It helps support:

    • healthcare recruitment

    • business growth and workforce development

    • tourism and visitor spending

    • regional competitiveness

    • family connectivity

    • professional training and education access

    Strong global connections help keep Fremont County economically competitive and accessible. Additionally, the majority of the potential funding investment is covered by funds derived from elsewhere. The local market is asked to match that investment at 40%.

  • FACT: Transportation services help residents access:

    • healthcare appointments

    • work opportunities

    • childcare and school

    • groceries and essential services

    • community life

    This funding supports a variety of public transportation providers including WRTA as well as senior services. Similar to air service, the bulk of funding for these services are derived from others;  the federal government invests to cover about 70% of the need, while local residents are asked to cover the remainder.

    Public transportation supports seniors, working families, rural residents, and individuals who may not always have reliable transportation access. This means independence, workforce participation, and quality of life for many across the county.

  • FACT: The purpose of the initiative is to help stabilize and strengthen essential services that already face funding pressures and rising operational costs, NOT replace it.

    The proposal also helps Fremont County maintain local matching funds often required to secure additional state and federal grants. Without local investment, communities risk losing access to outside funding opportunities that help support essential services.

  • FACT: This initiative is not about expanding government. It is about helping stabilize and support essential services that Fremont County residents already rely on every day. EMS, public transportation, and commercial air service already exist and already serve communities across Fremont County. The challenge is maintaining reliable access to these services as costs, demand, and rural service challenges continue to grow.

    The proposed ¾ penny sales tax helps support practical community needs like emergency response, transportation access, healthcare connectivity, workforce mobility, and global access and economic opportunities. It also helps communities secure additional state and federal grant funding that often requires a local funding match. This is about protecting essential services, not growing bureaucracy.

  • FACT: Even residents who may not personally use every service still benefit from living in a county with:

    • reliable emergency response

    • workforce transportation access

    • healthcare connectivity

    • strong business and tourism infrastructure

    • stable countywide services

    Strong communities depend on reliable systems that support safety, access, and opportunity for everyone. And you never know when you or someone you care about could need these services.

  • FACT: This proposal was built the right way, which is the Wyoming way, to be conservative but practical. By law, a sales tax can only be requested in ¼ cent increments (or ¼ percentages). In this situation, emergency services needed about .4%. Asking for .5, or ½ cent would be too much and not good use of the public’s trust. Air service needs about .2% while public transportation comes in at about .1%. In both of these cases, asking for .25% or a quarter cent each, would be too much. By combining them together they meet the legal requirement while asking for the more conservative funding needed.