As the Wyoming Legislature has shifted further to the right in recent years, the conservative concept of local control has lost sway in debates over several topics, including guns, education and taxes.
Now, some state lawmakers want more say over local governments’ spending on dues to associations that advocate on their behalf.
“Elimination of publicly funded associations prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to fund private entities that may prioritize their own interests over those of the public,” Rep. Marlene Brady, R-Green River, told the May 9 Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee in Lander.
Endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus last summer, Brady is leading the charge on a proposal to prohibit cities, towns and counties from using public funds to cover elected officials’ membership in associations.
“We’ve also seen that they go and they use our dime, the taxpayer dime, to go and lobby against every one of the bills that the people put forward,” Brady told the committee. “That is unacceptable. We are tired of it.”
Organizations like the Wyoming County Commissioners Association and the Wyoming Association of Municipalities lobby in Cheyenne during the session on behalf of local officials and based on priorities agreed to by their memberships.
Earlier this year, those associations — alongside firefighters, law enforcement, community colleges and special districts — cautioned lawmakers on passing certain property tax cuts whose cost local governments will shoulder.
Organizations like WCCA and WAM also provide education, training and networking opportunities. Those services, in particular, are an invaluable resource, according to the more than 20 local officials from across the state who testified at the May 9 meeting. That included mayors, commissioners, county attorneys, county treasurers, county clerks and district court clerks.
Pinedale Mayor Matt Murdock was among them. He recalled to the committee his first Wyoming Association of Municipalities conference more than a decade ago.
“I got to tell you, it was amazing,” Murdock said. “I learned how to do open meetings. I learned how to navigate ethics rules, budget responsibilities … It is practical, nonpartisan and frankly, empowering.”
When Murdock sees “people trying to quiet the dissenting voice, when they try to quiet the local voice, it just irks the heck out of me,” he added.
Despite overwhelming testimony against the prohibition, the committee decided by a straw poll to continue the topic at its August meeting in Casper.
As part of that discussion, the committee will review a bill from 2021 to prohibit the use of tax revenue for lobbying, per a request from Rep. Ann Lucas, R-Cheyenne.
Associations
Government associations play important roles in the legislative process, advocates say.
“We see ourselves as providing a bridge between legislative intent and practical implementation,” Natalia Macker, Wyoming County Commissioners Association president and Teton County commissioner, told lawmakers.
With four staff members, Macker said, the association focuses on areas of taxation, infrastructure, public safety, health and human services and land use.
“We offer input from counties that have a wide variety of perspectives and help gather that for you so that you can use it in your decision making,” she said. “We also help provide analysis to ensure we avoid unfunded mandates and unintended consequences. We receive requests from the [Legislative Service Office,] from legislative committees, from individual legislators and from state agencies. We also work together with federal agencies and our federal delegation.”
Asked how the organization is funded, Macker said it’s a combination of membership dues, private sector partners and several of its own revenue-generating streams.
As for membership dues, Macker said it depends on the county. Smaller counties pay less, larger counties pay more. Teton County’s annual dues, Macker said, will be around $36,000 in the upcoming fiscal year.
Without the association, Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, asked how smaller counties would fare.
“Financially, it would put a terrible burden on us if we weren’t part of the association,” Weston County Commissioner Ed Wagner said, echoing several other officials from smaller communities who told lawmakers they either did not have the staff or funding to substitute the services associations provide to them.
Like the county association, the Wyoming Association of Municipalities uses a sliding scale when determining membership dues.
“The City of Casper, which is probably one of the larger due payers, as you might imagine, pays roughly $55,000 a year,” Casper City Manager and WAM President Carter Napier told the committee.
That cost amounts to roughly 0.028% of Casper’s 2025 budget of $193 million. The town of Shoshoni, meanwhile, pays a “few hundred a year,” Napier said.
“I don’t know how you get a more efficient expenditure of a taxpayer dollar to receive the services, that are premium services, for the same kind of same kind of money,” Napier said.
Even as one of Wyoming’s largest cities, Casper Mayor Ray Pacheco told lawmakers his community also relies on WAM to track legislation, provide legal clarity and help interpret and implement new policy.
“Let me be clear, this is not just about small towns. This is about local control. I’m going to say that again, this is about local control,” Pacheco said.
“This is about our ability to govern ourselves as guaranteed by the Wyoming Constitution. When we prohibit cities and towns from voluntarily joining associations like WAM, we weaken that self-governance. We isolate communities and we make it harder, not easier, for local governments to do their jobs.”
Opposition
The two hours’ worth of testimony from local officials did little to sway Brady, the lawmaker leading the charge on the proposal. Instead, she accused them of having dishonest motivations.
“I would venture to guess that everyone [who] testified this morning in support of the associations is being paid,” Brady said.
Brady also clarified that she was not necessarily against the existence of associations, but opposed tax dollars funding them. Instead, local officials should pay for such services out of pocket.
“The local elected officials, I feel, are given enough salary that I would hope they’d be able to get together and come to some kind of, just work together [for] what’s best for their communities,” Brady said.
When Brady said 18 states have banned taxpayer dollars from funding associations, Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, followed up.
“My question to you is, where are you getting that information? Who’s providing it to you? Because it’s wrong,” Landen said, pointing to the National Conference of State Legislatures website that indicated otherwise.
“States just don’t do this,” he said.
Brady did not say where her information was from but told the committee she would provide a hard copy of her source.
Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, asked Brady in two different iterations whether the state ought to determine the budgets of local governments. She did not provide a direct answer. However, Rep. Gary Brown, R-Cheyenne, eventually weighed in, pointing to Article 4, Section 14 of the Wyoming Constitution.
“The Legislature shall provide by law for examination of the accounts of state treasurer, supreme court clerks, district court clerks, and all county treasurers, and treasurers of such other public institutions as the legislature may prescribe,” it reads.
“The Constitution of Wyoming does give the Legislature the oversight of all accounts in the state,” Brown said. “So yes, we need to be looking at those.”
Yin pushed back on the suggestion with a quip.
“I’m excited to do more micromanagement,” Yin said.
The committee’s next meeting is Aug. 14 in Casper.
The freedom caucus is not about freedom but about control.
Get rid of the UN-free dumb-caucus.Despite what they say they are for limiting public input and making larger Government to remove any opposition.
The Mayor of a small community in Wyoming made this statement ” we don’t have the intellectual capability” in this case he was addressing the need to gather data for a grant application. Regardless of the reason, the truth of the matter is this: there are many local governments that don’t have the “intellectual capability” to perform the tasks required of them. So…..what’s wrong with having associations that can supplement knowledge, that bring together ideas, that function as think tanks…that represent your local official during legislative sessions. Would you rather have your elected officials traipsing off to Cheyenne to give direct testimony on a particular bill, or have them doing the job they were elected to do and are paid to do. This Brady person, and all the others that think like she does are just trying to eliminate any public input that does not correspond to their ideology. We need more civil discourse, what a wonderful concept that has unfortunately fallen by the wayside
What the report fails to mention is the WSBA, the Wyoming School Board Association. Additionally there is the disingenuous deflection of the role that outside the state organizations play in funding, conferences, and training institutes provide for the Freedom Caucus and their allies. That funding includes massive amounts of cash for election campaigns as well as templates for bills which are part of a national agenda. The idea of local control is being smashed and being replaced by a national ideological agenda. The come back from those pushing this legislation is going to be that they are not using tax payer monies for their endeavors; but that is deflective misinformation (gaslighting?) as it willfully ignores the reality of their organizational model and support which has a deleterious impact and effect on the ability of local “We the People” to effectively have their voices heard in Cheyenne (the proof is very obvious in the committee’s choice to ignore the “petitions of objection” to the legislation and move forward with a cowardly and undemocratic straw-vote). As a two-term school board member who served as my board’s delegate to the WSBA’s Regional Directors board for over six years I know the importance the WSBA serves from governance training, to the information provided regarding education issues important to our students, our schools and education in the state, and serving as a vehicle for advocacy (which includes aiding in proposing and passing important legislation—in my case I proposed the bill which tightened up the school bus stop-arm violation law which became law. Without the WSBA that bill would never have happened). This legislation is about political brinksmanship and political power intended to silence communities.
The two hours’ worth of testimony from local officials did little to sway Brady, the lawmaker leading the charge on the proposal. Instead, she accused them of having dishonest motivations.
“I would venture to guess that everyone [who] testified this morning in support of the associations is being paid,” Brady said.
Hmm, a member of a sneaky and slimy behind closed doors outfit (Freedom Caucus) spewing out the worn out “lies” confutation when presented the facts. Just when you thought Rod/Williams, Steinmetz, Bear, Webber, French etc. was about as inept and low as it gets, along comes Rep. Marlene Brady. The turd balls keep a’ rollin’ with this anti people Unfreedom band of chuckleheads
I am the elected Sweetwater County Assessor, and I have been following this legislation since it appeared in the 2025 session. I am very much against this legislation. I emailed Representative Brady during the session to explain my opposition, and received no response, but was able to visit with her before the recent Corporations meeting. Our meeting was short but I explained the good things our Assessor’s Association does. First the cost…the dues for the Wyoming County Assessor’s Association are $200 and the budget for general operations for Sweetwater County is $54,490,724. Representative Brady is correct, Sweetwater County does pay for my room and my meals during these meetings. Those charges could be another $300-$400, depending on where the meetings are located due to the hotel room rates. That sums up the expenses the county pays for me to attend, but now let’s talk about what actually happens at these meeting. A great example of this is the 4% Cap on residential property that came out of the 2024 Legislative Session as House Bill 45. The concept for that bill was presented at a Wyoming County Assessor’s Association meeting, by an Assessor, as a way to help taxpayers in Wyoming with the large residential property tax increases we were seeing across the state. An interested legislator attended our meeting and that idea turned into House Bill 45. In tax year 2024 and 2025 that legislation reduced the market value of residential property in Sweetwater County by a total of $149,727,251. That is a great example of a topic at an Elected Official Association meeting that DIRECTLY benefited the taxpayers of Wyoming. I would argue that is money well spent for our taxpayers. Our Association also talks about potential legislation, which I think may be one of the issue Representative Brady has with all of the Elected Official Associations, but we are not lobbying, we are educating. Our Association, and I only speak for the Assessors, tries to educate the legislature. Is the bill constitutional, can the bill be administered, how many applications will it create, when should the deadlines be, is it actually good for the taxpayer, and so on. Again, we are there to educate because we are the ones that have to implement the legislation if it passes. Along with the legislative work we do, we also help each other with appraisal issues. We work very hard to be consistent and fair across the state in our work as tax appraisers. Assessors will share ideas to make us more efficient with taxpayer dollars. We will get direction from our oversight agencies, the Department of Revenue and the State Board of Equalization, again to do the best we can to be uniform. When I was a new Assessor, this group was THE BEST resource I had to help me as I learned and grew into my position. We also get updates from our software provider, we have presentations from vendors, we have continuing education opportunities, and we discuss the ramifications any new legislation that has been passed that will impact our statutory duties or our taxpayers. I believe our Association makes us better Assessors and that is better for our taxpayers.
Our Association is made up of Wyoming Assessors. Our dues help us be better Assessors and are minimal to the overall county budget. We are there to share concerns of our taxpayers and ideas that might make us better at what we do. In my opinion, as the elected Sweetwater County Assessor, this legislation is trying to fix something that is not broken and the taxpayers of Wyoming could be worse off without Associations like ours.
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus is the only group that prioritizes its own interests over those of the public.
Got to hand it to the Freedom (non) Caucus, they’re all about dirty money, sending out blatantly libelous fliers to smear the competition plus dark financing and not afraid of these facts to be exposed. Very reminiscent of 1933 Germany and the rise of Hitler. But, in committing their dirty work, this whole outfit also exposes on how unhinged, incompetent and low IQ they are,. A thought for this fascist regime to consider, if it’s exposure that they want, the citizens of the Netherlands post-world war II rounded up the Nazi sympathizers, shaved their heads and marched them down the streets of Amsterdam. Who knows if that will happen here plus who’d want to be the one with tasked with the duty of shaving through the parasites and crud on this mangy bunch?
We need to vote the freedom caucus out.
WOW. Rep. Marlene Brady is complaining about these public associations, representing OUR local governments – that we all know and can reach – possibly prioritizing “their own interests over those of the public,” when she is the recipient of 1,000s of dollars of out-of-state dark money funding her? I looked up her campaign finance records on a whim and it’s outstanding: not counting family loans, only 6% of her campaign $ came from Sweetwater County, that she represents. Add to that the $10,572 an out-of-state dark money PAC spent on her campaign, and only 3.5% of her election funding (that we know of) came from the public she is supposed to represent. So the better question should be, “who are you representing, Rep. Brady?”
Republican party probably reads these and will exact vengeance on those of us that criticize
Yes, they probably will want to goose step to your door and ask to see you papers but do consider that deep down, the No Freedom Thugs are blatant cowards. Just look at the Washington Three who don’t have the huevos to conduct truly open town hall discussions. If any of these No freedom creeps tries to darken my doorway…bring it on!
It’s been a weekly occurrence having one of these UnFreedom Caucus dopes getting featured on Wyofile with the final result being an exposure of their incompetence and buffoonery. let’s see, this week Marlene Brady, last week Rachel Williams Rodriquez,,, (you fill in the goofball)…when is the ole’ brain trust himself, USDA ag subsidy check casher (oh that dreadful federal government!) Madam Chairman Tim French going to come on here and further cement the blighted history of the Freedom for only them Caucus? Some certified whacko’s with a few of them being home grown
Complete control means more money available to them. The entire new administration is built on greed and finding ways to have more. When is enough? I guess it’s up to us to say when.
Same thing is done to opposition in democrat run states like California. So turn about is fine
But………Hillary
Please give the examples and your sources.
Freedom caucus is following in the footsteps of their boyfriend in Washington.
Vengeance is our saith the freedom caucus
When the word count dedicated to rules for comments approaches the word count for the article to comment on, we’ve culminated. Placating fascism under the banner of decorum just emboldens the fascists.
I’m admittedly nostalgic for the WY where people stood up to bullies, rather than cheered them on or became the bully themselves.
Hey Alabama, hold our beer.
This is just another attempt by the Freedom Caucus to silence dissent.
Marlene Brady, just another uninformed, incompetent NonFreedom goofball who doesn’t have the capability (or permission) to give a straight answer. Obviously a sock puppet being prepped and manipulated by that mysterious force cloaked behind the curtain. Having a low IQ and a penchant to be a fascist must be a prerequisite amongst these NonFreedom types
Another goofball trying to eliminate our rights. Going after people/organizations that oppose your view is anti American, but that’s what the Trump goons are all about.
Finally, a legislator asks the bold question: should local entities using taxpayer coerced dollars lobby the legislature for things like more dollars to further lobby the legislature? I think the question answers itself and the answer is no.