2026 House District 23 Questionnaires
To enhance readability, we have added the bold font to responses below to emphasize notable aspects of their views.
Candidate Shannon Brennan did not submit a questionnaire response.
Do you plan to vote yes or no on the property tax ballot measure this fall?
Liz Storer (D): No
If you could snap your fingers and make three specific policy or regulatory changes to address Wyoming’s housing shortage, what would you do?
Liz Storer (D): The Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) estimated in 2024 that Wyoming needs roughly 20,000 – 40,000 additional housing units – both rental and owner-occupied combined – by 2030. A strong legislative package should therefore combine increased and flexible project financing, predictable permitting, and locally tailored land-use reform.
1. Create a permanent Wyoming Housing Infrastructure & Revolving Loan Fund Modeling a plan after Utah’s $300M Homes Investment Program would be a good place to start in creating a program in Wyoming; it reallocates funds rather than appropriates new spending; the cost to the state is the difference between what those funds would earn being invested by the state in a diversified portfolio and what they will earn as a revolving loan fund, providing for a significantly reduced appropriation required. Management can be through the Treasurer’s office with qualified financial institutions and credit unions originating the actual loans to developers significantly below the conventional construction rates. Homes should be deed restricted to affordable.
2. Adopt a statewide “housing-ready communities” incentive and permitting standard Rather than pre-empting local zoning wholesale, Wyoming could use state infrastructure and housing dollars to reward municipalities and counties that remove unnecessary barriers to attainable housing by encouraging the adoption of a “housing-ready” ordinance or completing a state-approved regulatory audit. This would build on HB 2 passed earlier this year that establishes uniform deadlines and procedures that local government entities must follow when reviewing certain residential building permit applications.
3. Modernize zoning-protest and “missing-middle” housing rules Pass a narrowly targeted reform that prevents a small number of adjacent owners from imposing an extraordinary supermajority hurdle on otherwise lawful housing rezonings, while preserving notice and public participation.
If the Wyoming Legislature were to prohibit housing mitigation fees, what would you recommend to replace that lost revenue? How would you build support for your idea(s)?
Liz Storer (D): According to online sources, the average annual amount over the last nine years that housing mitigation fees have generated for the Town of Jackson and Teton County is estimated to be around $1.3M/year. Given the cost of housing in Teton County, this may be a good example of the “juice not being worth the squeeze”. While I personally defended mitigation fees in the House of Representatives in both 2025 and 2026, they remain unpopular and there may be better tools we should consider. A local option real estate transfer tax could generate significantly more dollars here in Teton County, even if it is restricted to high-value real estate, requires local voter approval and is a modest percent on the sale. Since Wyoming is a non-disclosure state, sale prices collected on Statements of Consideration are not public information, so we only can estimate total dollar volume from brokerage compilations and off-market data. However, the total dollar volume for homes over $3M (and deleting the value of the first $3M for homes over $3M) is something around $800M/year over the last five years. A 1% transfer tax would generate $8M/year, although it would vary with the market, so estimates should be based on a multi-year average. I believe that some local realtors may support this idea, especially if the mitigation fees were to be eliminated; the challenge is that the National Association of REALTORS® opposes any government-imposed real estate transfer tax or fee. The Wyoming REALTORS® have taken a similar stance, so it will require a statewide housing advocacy group to overcome that opposition. Wyoming REALTORS® supported Amendment A, which I was instrumental on getting on the ballot, and they believe it makes sense to create a separate residential property-tax class. It could potentially be politically possible to combine a reduction in the residential property tax assessment rate (e.g., from 9.5% to an 8.3% assessment rate) with local-option real estate transfer tax legislation on high-end luxury homes and dedicate at least most of the proceeds to housing needs.
What would your response be to community members who expressed opposition to incorporating deed-restricted homes into their neighborhoods?
Liz Storer (D): Over the past five years, neighborhood opposition in Teton County has been much less effective at outright killing housing than it was previously — but highly effective at delaying projects, raising their cost, and reshaping the rules that govern them. The opposition’s leverage has migrated from “stop the project” to “make it slower, smaller, and more expensive,” with litigation and design regulation as the effective tools and outright denial increasingly rare. In fact, the current pipeline of approved units is likely the largest in the valley’s history. There is a need for greater education among voters to understand how more flexible rules can make housing more affordable for community members. The WCDA assessment noted previously also found that more than 50,000 Wyoming households earning below 100% of area median income had at least one housing problem—such as unaffordable housing costs, overcrowding, or incomplete kitchen/plumbing facilities. Addressing those needs that clearly exist in Teton County would be a way of improving housing without building new housing. While such delays are frustrating, we need to balance public participation. I am more concerned that the Northern South Park development will not produce the variety of housing needed and desired by the community due to the failure of current commission members to scrutinize the development adequately.
Several housing-related bills have been considered in recent Wyoming legislative sessions, including proposals related to the Housing Investment Fund and zoning protest petitions.
Liz Storer (D): Here are some answers for the 2026 bills: SF 64 – Investment in Wyoming housing – created a revolving housing fund. Unfortunately, it failed introduction in the Senate in 2026 but I would have supported it had it made it over to the House. SF 89 – Local housing projects – tax exemption amendments – also failed introduction in the Senate in 2026. I would not have supported it as it would limit tax exemptions for projects that are private-public partnerships. While some review of such tax exemptions may be merited, this bill would just transfer those tax costs onto the projects, making them less likely to be built in the first place. I supported HB 2 – Fast Track Permits Act – in 2026, and it was made law. I voted for HB 77 – Zoning protest petition-repeal – on an introductory vote, although I would like to see a somewhat more nuanced approach to zoning petitions as I outlined previously in the questionnaire. I would have supported HB 272 – Investment in Wyoming housing had it been introduced. With the Freedom Caucus massacre in the Republican primary, there are real opportunities to move housing legislation forward in 2027. As one of the few members of the House Revenue Committee with any seniority should I be re-elected, I am likely to be influential on Revenue-related bills. I also have an excellent relationship with the most likely member of the House to be elected Speaker. Thus, I will be able to make the case for Teton County’s housing needs well as a returning member of the House.
