WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

Because most of the taxes in Wyoming are controlled at the state level, the SPET ballot is one way we have the opportunity to increase public funding opportunities for deed-restricted housing available to local workers, retirees, and families.

OUR POSITION: Vote yes on all SPET measures, especially #12!

While ShelterJH is endorsing all SPET measures, we are focusing on #12 specifically: Community Housing.

Currently, there are over 3,000 people in our community waiting for housing through the Housing Department. The urgent need for deed-restricted homes is undeniable. The revenue from this measure will be used “for the purchase of deed restrictions and/or interests in land on which to design, plan, develop, engineer, construct deed-restricted housing.” 

There are two kinds of deed-restricted housing that this project could fund: “Affordable” homes are price-limited to different income levels. “Workforce” homes are restricted to local workers, without price or income limits. Recording permanent deed restrictions on homes is of the utmost importance if we are going to guarantee that the units house locals in perpetuity—otherwise, we end up with neighborhoods like Rafter J or Cottonwood, both of which were designed with the workforce in mind, but now homes in these neighborhoods sell for millions of dollars. On the other hand, projects like the Jackson Street Apartments and 174 N. King Street Condominiums will serve locals forever.

There are four other housing-specific measures on the SPET ballot this year from the hospital, the school district, the Town of Jackson, and Teton County. While all of the housing SPET projects are worthwhile, we are especially excited about Community Housing measure #12 because it’s the only housing measure that will allow workers to retire in place, and it’s the only measure where your housing doesn’t depend on your job. It is critical that community members have access to housing that is not directly tied to employment.

If the people who work here can’t afford to live here, we lose our middle class. Please join us in voting YES on SPET measure #12 (along with the other SPET measures!) on or before November 8!

WHAT’S NEXT?

There will be an in-person SPET forum on October 13 at 6pm at the Teton County Library. The open house will begin at 5pm. Get ready to vote on SPET items on or before election day, November 8!

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

Make sure you are registered to vote and know where to vote as well—if you live in Teton County, you will have the opportunity to vote on these measures during the election!

HISTORY

Projects that passed during the 2019 SPET election include: building a vehicle maintenance facility for START ($18.5 million), purchasing four wildland fire engines ($1.6 million), creating a history museum on the Genevieve block ($4.4 million), building wildlife crossings infrastructure ($10 million) and $5.5 million for housing opportunities through the Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department.

In 2019, the only SPET measure that failed was a proposal to retrofit the County Courthouse.

FAQS

Is there any controversy surrounding SPET?

Regressive nature of the tax

A regressive tax is imposed on everyone equally, so lower-income folks actually pay a higher percentage of their income on these taxes. Progressive taxes are levied proportionally to one’s income, and increase for higher income or wealth levels. Sales tax is regressive. To ease concerns about the SPET being a regressive tax, unprepared food (groceries) are exempt.

SPET as a funding source

In general, we are excited that so many entities in our community are recognizing and taking steps to address their housing needs. We support all efforts to enable our most vulnerable community members to live locally.⁠ We ask that electeds direct these various organizations to work together to come up with a unified plan to put housing initiatives on the SPET ballot. We all need to work together to address this critical issue as a united community. All of these entities will be more successful in their search for funding if they communicate and work as a team. It is critical that we collaborate to solve our housing emergency.⁠

⁠Moreover, we recognize that the reason these groups are vying for funding is because SPET is one of the few ways to secure meaningful sources of revenue. A new revenue stream like the real estate tax could be passed during the next legislative session. We hope that these organizations will support a new meaningful and reliable source of funding for local housing.⁠