Powder River Basin Resource Council has been tracking ad valorem mineral production tax (ad valorem tax) debts in 13 Wyoming counties since 2017. This year, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) joined our efforts and collected data from all Wyoming counties.
We applaud the Select Committee on Coal/Mineral Bankruptcies for putting forth well thought-out proposals to stem the tide of further ad valorem tax debt accumulation. We also applaud the WCCA in taking up the mantle and working with treasurers and the legislature to address this issue.
Since we began collecting information, these debts have grown at a truly alarming pace. Our original research in 2017 found that the Wyoming counties we tracked were collectively owed over $42 million in delinquent ad valorem mineral production taxes. The following year, we released an updated report (included) showing the debt had grown to almost $55 million. This year, using our research and WCCA data for the same 13 counties we tracked in 2018, the debt has increased to over $89 million.
To read the full update, click here.
