Lander council signs MOA for county-wide economic-development tax, adds reporting amendment

The Lander City Council voted June 16 to approve a memorandum of agreement among governing bodies in Fremont County that establishes a distribution framework for a proposed economic-development tax to fund commercial air service, ground transportation and emergency medical services. The proposition will appear on the Fremont County primary ballot on Aug. 18, 2026, but the agreement will have no effect unless voters approve the tax and election results are certified.

During consideration, Council member Cassidy proposed adding language to require that service providers for EMS, commercial air service and ground transportation provide an annual public report to the participating parties in a public meeting. Cassidy said the amendment would increase transparency and ensure the parties can educate voters about how funds would be used. Council debated whether the amendment would require re-acceptance by other governing bodies; staff confirmed Riverton and the county would need to accept any change.

Council voted to add the amendment and then approved the MOA as amended. Staff will forward the amended language to partner jurisdictions for their consideration and continue coordination so the measure can be placed on the August ballot with clear distribution and reporting expectations.

The council’s action is procedural (preparing the governance framework) and does not itself impose a tax; voter approval of the county proposition is required before any tax is imposed or collected.