WYOMING

Governor sues over property tax cap 

Gov. Mark Gordon filed a lawsuit on June 16 to force the State Board of Equalization to certify residential property tax values after the panel concluded it could not do so due to disparities created by a 2024 tax cap.

Gordon’s decision effectively means he’s directed an attorney general he appointed to file suit against a board that he also selected.

The Attorney General’s Office accuses the board of exceeding its “authority when it unilaterally determined that the property tax exemptions are unconstitutional and did not certify residential property tax values for the 2026 tax year.”

As such, the state is asking the court to prohibit the board from refusing to certify residential property tax values. It also defends the cap as falling “squarely within the legislature’s authority to create property exemptions” under the Wyoming Constitution.

Two years ago, the Wyoming Legislature passed a tax cap for residential property taxes to relieve homeowners. The cap, however, has created nonuniform assessments across the state, including “thousands of value ‘inversions’ in each county,” such as when a higher-market-value home is assessed at a lower taxable value than a lower-market-value home, according to a recent report released by the board.

Because of its constitutional obligation to ensure uniformity, the board says it cannot certify residential land or improvement values while the cap is in place. That could prevent local governments from collecting 2026 taxes on residential properties — a key revenue source for public services.

Gordon said it’s up to the judiciary — not the board — to determine whether the law is constitutional.

Jayne Mockler, the board’s chairman and a named defendant in the lawsuit, said the question will “have to play out in the courts,” adding, “the sooner the better.”

Air base throws open house

F.E. Warren Air Force Base will welcome the public for its 32nd annual Fort D.A. Russell Days open house July 17–19, offering visitors a free weekend celebration of military heritage, live demonstrations, historic displays, and a closer look at the people and mission behind the “Mighty Ninety.”

According to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, the event begins at 9 a.m. each day and will conclude at varying times based on scheduled activities.

Held alongside Cheyenne Frontier Days, Fort D.A. Russell Days highlights the legacy of F.E. Warren AFB as the oldest continuously active military installation in the U.S. Air Force.

Guests will have the opportunity to explore historic homes, view military exhibits, experience period reenactments, and learn how the base’s past connects with its present-day role supporting the nation’s ICBM mission.

The annual event serves as a bridge between the installation and the surrounding community, giving residents and visitors from across the region a firsthand look at the history, partnerships, and service that have shaped F.E. Warren’s identity.

Base access credentials aren’t required during the event. Information on entry gates, parking, permitted items, and accessibility is available through the base website.

NEW MEXICO

Childcare challenge dismissed

ALBUQUERQUE — A New Mexico judge on June 11 dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the state’s universal childcare program, allowing the ambitious and closely watched experiment to continue.

Attorneys for former Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and other plaintiffs had questioned the process used by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to eliminate an income cap and co-pays for childcare assistance before the legislature had a chance to weigh in or approve funding.

Attorneys representing Lujan Grisham and the state’s childcare agency argued that lawmakers have since authorized and funded the program’s expansion, rendering the legal challenge moot.

District Judge Elaine Lujan agreed, tossing the lawsuit and allowing the state to continue footing the daycare bill for families regardless of income. She also found that Rodriguez and his co-plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.

Rodriquez’s attorneys indicated they planned to appeal the judge’s decision.

The ruling prevented a financial headache for many childcare businesses and for families who have rebalanced household budgets around free childcare.

Lujan Grisham applauded the ruling.

New Mexico’s program, which is financed in large part with revenue from oil and gas production in the state, was among the nation’s most generous before November’s expansion, waiving costs for families making up to 400% of the federal poverty rate or roughly $132,000 per year for a family of four.

The state agency recently proposed new regulations aimed at shoring up the program’s sustainability. Potential guardrails include copayments for higher-income families in the event of a significant drop in oil prices or enrollment in free childcare surging beyond state projections.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Lawmaker faces fraud counts

SIOUX FALLS — An incumbent South Dakota legislative leader is facing two felony counts, accused of falsifying signatures to put candidates forward for state Republican Party positions without them knowing.

Republican state Sen. Thomas Pischke of Dell Rapids represents a deep red district outside Sioux Falls and is seeking a third term in November. He faces two felony counts of knowingly submitting a falsified or forged document.

Pischke turned himself in to the Minnehaha County Jail on June 23 and was released on a promise to appear for all future court dates, the sheriff’s office said. An initial hearing was set for July 7.

Pischke has agreed to step away from his duties in the party, including serving on the executive board of the Minnehaha County Republicans, as the case plays out, said Jim Eschenbaum, chair of the South Dakota Republican Party.

If convicted of a felony, Pischke would not be able to hold a position with the state Republican Party, Eschenbaum said. It is unclear whether Pischke would be able to serve in the legislature. State law says any person convicted of perjury, bribery or an infamous crime may not serve in the legislature.

The charges against Pischke came after a monthslong investigation into the filings. The county auditor’s office had identified 16 forms for precinct committee positions with suspected fraudulent signatures and discrepancies with registered voting addresses.

Pischke admitted to filling out his own form at the auditor’s office to run for precinct committeeman but he denied filling out forms for others, the affidavit stated. He won the position in June, according to the auditor’s office.

The investigation uncovered DNA evidence matching Pischke on envelopes containing the forms and used surveillance video to identify a vehicle near a mail drop box that was registered to Pischke.