During the 2009 session, the Wyoming Legislature may consider a constitutional amendment that would allow towns and counties to change the way their government works.

House Joint Resolution 1, submitted for introduction by the Joint Interim Committee on Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions, would amend the constitution to allow for the combination of municipal and county governments into a single entity. The combined government would be recognized as a county for taxation and revenue, but as a municipality for any other purposes.

Any amendment to the Wyoming Constitution must first be approved by two-thirds of each house of the Legislature. It will then be put on the ballot of the next general election, which in this case will be in 2010. To pass, the ballot measure must get yes votes from two-thirds of Wyoming voters. For constitutional amendments, blank votes count as no votes.

If the bill passes and is adopted into the constitution, the legislature will have to pass further laws that will lay out exactly how a reorganization would take place and how the new entity would be structured. According to the bill, any regulations put in place would have to include a vote of the county and municipal residents to approve the combination.

County Commissioner Ross Newman said the city of Jackson and Teton County have been putting the issue forward. Much of the population of Teton County resides in Jackson, the only incorporated municipality, or in the immediate area. There are departments such as city police/sheriff and county road/city street departments that would become more efficient if combined.

“It would make some sense in their situation,” Newman said.

Newman said he would like to see the issue discussed since it would be a benefit to some counties; however, a combined government would not be feasible in Goshen County since there are five incorporated municipalities.

Torrington Mayor Leroy Schafer said he had never considered such a combination, but he could see the value for sparsely population counties.

“Sublette County is basically Pinedale, so I could see the value of having that under one entity,” Schafer said. “I’m just not sure how it would work in Goshen or Laramie counties.”