At the town council meeting on Monday, April 2, the town of Diamondville approved their street projects to be added to the county-wide resolution to place a special purpose excise tax on the November 2018 ballot.

The one percent specific purpose sales and use tax is also known as the sixth penny tax, and each community in Lincoln County has presented specific projects that they would use the tax revenue for.

The total proposed cost for Diamondville projects using revenue from the proposed sixth penny tax is $2,153,814.

The Diamondville Town Council chose to propose street projects for the potential tax revenue. The projects include a mill and overlay on the following roads: McGovern, Burke, Keane, Glenco, Star, Sublet, Diamondville, Gomer, Susie, Lincoln, Hillcrest, Oakley, Twin Creek and Radiant.

The money would also be used for a crack and chip seal on Gomer Street.

The sixth penny tax has to go through several steps before it could produce revenue in Lincoln County.

First, each municipal government must pass a resolution stating the specific projects they would fund with the tax revenue.

The joint resolution is then brought before the Lincoln County Commissioners. According to Kemmerer City administrator Andrew Nelson, if all the municipalities pass the resolution in April, the joint resolution will be presented to the County Commissioners at the May 1 meeting.

Nelson has estimated that the tax would generate $15 million in revenue. That money is then distributed to Lincoln County communities based on their proposed projects, not by population.

After it is passed by the commission, the resolution to institute a sixth penny sales tax in Lincoln County to fund specific projects is placed on the 2018 ballot for the public to vote on.

If the tax is instituted, communities will start receiving funds as soon as the tax generates enough revenue to fund their projects.

As soon as the projects are funded, the tax goes away. About half of Wyoming counties have a sixth penny tax.

The grand total for Lincoln County projects using revenue from the proposed sixth penny tax is $12,455,492.

On the resolution, the town of Afton has proposed street improvement and reconstruction projects that will cost $1,851,112.

Alpine’s project on the resolution includes a reconstruction of part of Greys River Road, which will cost a total of $1,500,000.

Cokeville has proposed street improvements and replacement and rehabilitation of certain water and sewer lines. Their projects will cost $1,071,874

The City of Kemmerer has decided that the revenue from the potential tax will be used for road projects, including repairing and repaving 5th West Avenue, Elk Street, Canyon Road south of Antelope, and a reconstruction of Dell Rio Drive west of Canyon Road. The project totals for Kemmerer are $3,147,394.

LaBarge’s proposed projects will cost $515,419.

Opal’s proposed projects will cost $400,000.

Star Valley Ranch has proposed street projects to be funded by the revenue, and they will cost $1,265,879.

Thayne’s project total cost is $550,000.