Lawmakers will soon decide the fate of several bills intended to stimulate downtown revitalizations and economic growth in Wyoming.
“Economic development is a long game,” Rep. Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie) said. “It’s a lot of baby steps to get to that bigger impact.” Sherwood, who runs Laramie Main Street Alliance, will bring a pair of complementary bills to incentivize improving neglected or abandoned commercial buildings.
Housing, however, is the biggest hindrance to economic development in the state, according to Sherwood. “How are you going to grow a business or recruit a business if the workforce doesn’t have a place to live?” she said.
Two legislative committees made the topic a priority during the interim, but that only got lawmakers so far — mostly they advanced proposals to tamp down rising residential property taxes. Other lawmakers,…
