Issues and Offices

Elected officials from every level of government (local, county, state) make decisions that impact your life every day. Understanding what their responsibilities and authorities are in the areas that you care most encourages your interactions with them individually and in holding them responsible at the ballot box. It is difficult to pay attention to every topic at those levels. The tool below helps you to cross the most important issues to the elected offices.

If you have local or state areas of concern that you do not see reflected in the table, please contact us at [email protected] and provide information that can then be incorporated.

Issues:

Elected Office:

Issues	Details	Responsibilites/Authorities	Elected Office	Elected Office
Infrastructure	Highways, Roads & Bridges	County Road Maintenance & Construction	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Infrastructure	Highways, Roads & Bridges	Approve Budget for Roads & Bridges	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Government Administration	Department Budgets	Approve Department Budgets	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Planning and Zoning	Building Codes	County Engineer	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Planning and Zoning	Building Codes	Approve Building Codes	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Planning and Zoning	County Plan	Approve Comprehensive Land Use Plan	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Planning and Zoning	County Plan	Regulate & restrict location of buildings & structures	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Planning and Zoning	County Plan	Condition of use and occupancy of unincorporated lands	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Planning and Zoning	Liquor Licenses	Approve and renew liquor licenses	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Taxation	General Purpose Option Tax	Propose General Purpose Tax for approval in General Election	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Taxation	Specific Purpose Optional Tax	Propose Optional Purpose Tax for approval in General Election	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Taxation	Economic Development Tax	Propose Economic Development Tax for approval in General Election	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Taxation	Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)	Distribution of PILT funds from federal government	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Natural Resources	Parks and Recreation	Budget Approval	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Community Services	Libraries	Appoint Library Board	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Community Services	Aeronautics	Obtain Federal/state grants for airports	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Community Services	Hospitals	Appoint Hospital Board	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Community Services	Senior Citizen Centers	Funding Grants	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Community Services	Animal Control	Approve Budget	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Community Services	Landfills	Approve Budget	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Public Safety	Homeland security	Emergency Services Director	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Public Safety	Emergency management	Coordination during emergencies	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Government Administration	Federal Agency cooperation	Compliance with laws & policies	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Government Administration	Federal Agency cooperation	Public hearings on federal lands	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Law Enforcement	Sheriff's Department	Approve Sheriff Operations Budget	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Law Enforcement	Sheriff's Department	Approve County Detention Center Budget	County Commissioner	County Commissioner
Infrastructure	Streets and Alleys	Pave Streets	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Infrastructure	Streets and Alleys	Designate, construct, extend, maintain, regulate streets	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Infrastructure	Streets and Alleys	Pass ordnance on construction of side-walks	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Infrastructure	Streets and Alleys	Approve Budget	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Infrastructure	Streets and Alleys	Snow Removal	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Municipal master Plan	Approve Municipal comprehensive Plan	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Municipal master Plan	Establish Planning Board, appoint members	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Municipal master Plan	Regulate and restrict buildings and land use	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Municipal master Plan	Establish Board of Adjustments, appoint members	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Urban Renewal	Prevention/elimination of blighted areas	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Fire Codes	Approve Fire Codes	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Building Codes	Approve Building Codes	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Liquor Licenses	Approve and renew liquor licenses	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Local Improvements	Pass ordnance establishing local improvements	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Local Improvements	Establish special assessments for local improvements	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Planning and Zoning	Local Improvements	Provide for bond issuance for local improvements	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Natural Resources	Parks and Recreation	Parks Department	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Natural Resources	Parks and Recreation	Establish programs	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Sewage and Waste Facilities	Landfill	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Sewage and Waste Facilities	Garbage Collection	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Sewage and Waste Facilities	Sewage Treatment Facilities	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Utility Systems	Establish utility transmission and distribution systems	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Utility Systems	Appoint public utility board members	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Utility Systems	Establish authority for Joint Power Boards and appoint members	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Utility Systems	Assume utlity services to annexed areas	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Water Systems	Water Treatment	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Water Systems	Water Distribution	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Recycling Centers	Establish and fund recycling	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Community Services	Cemetery	Fund the operations of the cemetery	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Transportation	Public Transportation	Establish services or grant franchises for service	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Administration	Joint Powers Board	Enter into and operate a joint powers agreement	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Public Safety	Fire Codes	Approve Fire Codes	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Public Safety	Building Codes	Approve Building Codes	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Public Safety	Fire Department	Approve Fire Department Budget	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Public Safety	Health Regulations	Approve Health Regulations	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Administration	Interagency Coordination	Enter in agreements with other political entitites	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Law Enforcement	Police Department	Hire Police Chief	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Law Enforcement	Police Department	Approve Budget	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Law Enforcement	Police Department	Pass ordnances governing the police department	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Municipality	Annexation	Annexation of lands into the municipality	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Municipality		Operation and Maintenance of city/town hall	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Finance	Debt Assumption	Release of bonds to pay for public services	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Finance	Public Improvements	Submit bond approval as ballot initiative	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Finance	Biennial Budget	Approve Budget	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Finance	Annual Audit	Review and take action on audit findings	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Finance		Approve contracts	City/Town Council	City/Town Council
Government Administration		Voting member of the town council	Mayor	Mayor
Government Administration	Council Meetings	Presiding Officer	Mayor	Mayor
Government Administration		* Veto authority on ordinances and other council actions	Mayor	Mayor
Government Administration		* Line item veto on municipal budget	Mayor	Mayor
Government Administration		Appointment of senior town officials with consent of council	Mayor	Mayor
Education	School District Operations	Adopt districtcurriculum	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Operations	Monitor student progress	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Policies	Adopt, evaluate and update policies consistent with law	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Policies	Adopt policies on school libraries	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Policies	Develop a common vision, mission and expectations for district	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Operations	Hire and Support School District Superintendent	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Operations	Regular and timely evaluations of the School District Superintendent	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Operations	Approve School Distric tBudget	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Operations	Ensure a safe and appropriate educational environment for all students	School Board	School Board
Education	School District Operations	Provide advocacy for students and public education at all levels	School Board	School Board
Public Safety	Criminal Code	Set Crime definition in statute	Legislator	Legislator
Legislative Processes	State Boards appointments	State Senate: Confirm governor nominees for boards	Legislator	Legislator
Legislative Processes	State Department Head appointment	State Senate: Confirm governor nominees for department heads	Legislator	Legislator
Legislative Processes	Impeachment	State House: Impeachment of governor, other state and judicial officers by majority	Legislator	Legislator
Legislative Processes	Impeachment	State Senate: Hold trial and convict upon 2/3 of elected senators	Legislator	Legislator
General Appropriations	State Budget	Approve appropriations for ordinary expenses of the state	Legislator	Legislator
Legislative Processes	Override governor Veto	Override governor vetos by a 2/3 vote in both houses	Legislator	Legislator
Education	School Finance	Establish Funding Model	Legislator	Legislator
Education	School Finance	Approve biennial budget	Legislator	Legislator
Education	School Facilities	Fund prioritized school construction projects	Legislator	Legislator
Education	School Facilities	Fund school major maintenance	Legislator	Legislator
Education	K-12 Schools	Define basket of goods/core curriculum	Legislator	Legislator
Education	K-12 Schools	Define Hathaway Scholarship criteris	Legislator	Legislator
Education	Career Technical Education	Establish requirements	Legislator	Legislator
Education	Community Colleges	Approve budgets	Legislator	Legislator
Education	University of Wyoming	Approve Block Grant	Legislator	Legislator
Education	University of Wyoming	Establish endowments	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Utilities	Approve appointments to Public Service Commissions	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Utilities	Establish responsibilities of Public Service Commission including rate setting	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Alcoholic Beverages	Requirements for Liquor Licenses	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Alcoholic Beverages	Restrictions on sales and operations	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Alcoholic Beverages	Responsibilities of Wyoming Liquor Division	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Economic Development	Define Responsibilities of the Wyoming Business Council	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Economic Development	Fund economic development programs	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Corporations	Formation and regulation of Limited Liability Companies	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Corporations	Formation and regulation of Partnerships	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Corporations	Formation and regulation of non-profit organizations	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Corporations	Formation and regulation of statutory trusts	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Gaming	Regulation of gaming activities	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Gaming	Responsibilities and authorities of Wyoming Gaming Commission	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Insurance	Define Insurance Code including practice	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Insurance	Mandated insurance Coverage	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Telecommunications	Regulation of telecommunication services	Legislator	Legislator
Commerce	Consumer Protection	Defining unlawful trade practices	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Criteria for voter registration	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Define and regulate political parties	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Establish election districts and precincts	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Use of electronic voting machines	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Define primary and general elections	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Establish nonpartisan election procedures	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Define partisan and non partisan elected office voting procedures	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Elections	Criteria for amendments to the state constitution	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Special Districts	Authorize categories of special districts	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Special Districts	Administration of Special Districts including financial requirements	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Counties	Define powers and duties of counties as political subdivisions	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Counties	Define responsibilities and authority of county officers	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Counties	Establish Planning and Zoning responsibilities including Master Plan	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Counties	Services and Programs administered within counties	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Municipalities	Establish Planning and Zoning responsibilities including Master Plan	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Municipalities	Define the powers of municipalities including home rule	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Municipalities	Requirements for civil service commission for police and fire departments	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Municipalities	Establish requirements for Downtown Development Authority	Legislator	Legislator
Government Administration	Administrative Regulation Review	Review rules established by executve departments	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Civil Procedures	Procedures for Civil Trials and actions	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Civil Procedures	Limitations on civil actions	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Civil Procedures	Civil judgements	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Civil Procedures	Wills, Estates and Probate	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Civil Procedures	Provisions and Definitions of Trusts	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Criminal Code	Define offenses against persons, property, public administration	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Criminal Code	Sentencing Guidelines	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Criminal Code	Criminal Procedures	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Judiciary	Define court jurisdictions	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Judiciary	Establish responsibilities for Justice of the Peace	Legislator	Legislator
Judicial	Judiciary	Establish and fund courts for the various jurisdictions	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	General Appropriations Bill	Approve budgets for ordinary expenses of executive, legislative, judicial departments and public schools	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	Budget Bills	Authorize expenditure of monies through appropriations	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	Budget Bills	Pass a biennial balanced general budget	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	Budget Bills	Review executive branch budget requests and approve budgets	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	Budget Bills	Review judiciary budget requests and approve budget	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	Budget Bills	Approve distributions to local governments	Legislator	Legislator
Govt Finance	Capital Construction	Authorize the expenditure of public funds for public construction	Legislator	Legislator
Healthcare	Public Health	Funding for Medicaid	Legislator	Legislator
Healthcare	Public Health	Establish and fund suicide prevention programs	Legislator	Legislator
Healthcare	Public Health	Scope and coverage of Medicaid	Legislator	Legislator
Healthcare	Medical Facilities	Regulate and fund healthcare facilities	Legislator	Legislator
Taxation	Property Tax/Ad Valorum	Set Property Tax rates and exemptions	Legislator	Legislator
Taxation	Sales & Use Tax	Establish rates and conditions for permanent and optional sales & use taxes	Legislator	Legislator
Taxation	Fuel Tax	Set fuel tax rates and revenue distribution	Legislator	Legislator
Taxation	Severance Tax	Regulate application and use of severance tax	Legislator	Legislator
Labor	Professions and Occupations	Establish professional standards and licensing boards	Legislator	Legislator
Labor	Professions and Occupations	Set duties, procedures for licensing boards and authorize fees	Legislator	Legislator
Labor	Professions and Occupations	Authorize multistate compacts for reciprocal licensing	Legislator	Legislator
Family	Marriage	Creation and dissolution of marrriage	Legislator	Legislator
Family	Child Welfare and Custody	Establish and fund child protection services	Legislator	Legislator
Family	Child Welfare and Custody	Establish and fund the juvenile justice system	Legislator	Legislator
Family	Child Welfare and Custody	Define parental rights and responsibilities	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	WY National Guard	Duties and powers of the Wyoming National Guard	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	WY National Guard	Regulate and fund training facilities and properties of the Guard	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Office of Homeland Security	Define responsibilities and authority of Homeland Security	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Veterans	Authorize and fund programs for veterans	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Law Enforcement	Authority, requirements, responsibilties of peace officers	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Law Enforcement	Provide for Law Enforcement retirement and pension funds	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Fire Districts	Authorization and administration of Fire Districts	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Fire Districts	Authorization and administration of Fire Districts	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Fire Fighters	Establish collective bargaining rights and scope	Legislator	Legislator
Public Safety	Fire Fighters	Volunteer firefighter, EMT, Search & Rescue Pension Account	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Game and Fish	Wildlife management	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Game and Fish	Hunting and Fishing Licenses	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Game and Fish	Hunting and Fishing Regulations	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Game and Fish	Authority and Responsibilites of Game and Fish Commission	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Natural Resource Trust	Establish Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust and responsibilities	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Parks and Recreation	Establish and fund state parks and cultural resources	Legislator	Legislator
Natural Resources	Parks and Recreation	Responsibilities of the State Parks and Cultural Resources Commission	Legislator	Legislator
Land and Water	State Lands	Authority and responsibilities of the Board of Land Commissioners	Legislator	Legislator
Land and Water	State Lands	Administration of agricultural and grazing leases	Legislator	Legislator
Land and Water	State Lands	Terms, rules, regulations, fees for mineral leases	Legislator	Legislator
Land and Water	Real Property	Titles and conveyances of real property	Legislator	Legislator
Land and Water	Water	Water and related resource planning and development	Legislator	Legislator
Land and Water	Water	Administration of water rights, water and sewer districts, irrigation	Legislator	Legislator
Agriculture	Ranching	Establish authority and responsibility of Livestock Board	Legislator	Legislator
Agriculture	Ranching	Authority and responsibilites of State Veterinarian and Brand Inspectors	Legislator	Legislator
Agriculture	Weed & Pest Control	Establish districts, designate management, authority and responsibilities	Legislator	Legislator
Agriculture	Predatory Animals	Authority and funding for predator management	Legislator	Legislator
Agriculture	Ag Products	Buying, marketing, packaging, selling of agriculture products	Legislator	Legislator
Agriculture	State Fair	Establish composition, purpose, authority and responsibility of State Fair Board	Legislator	Legislator
Transportation	Motor Vehicles	Registration and operation of Commercial vehicles	Legislator	Legislator
Transportation	Motor Vehicles	Commercial Driver's License criteria	Legislator	Legislator
Transportation	Motor Vehicles	Title, fees and registration of vehicles	Legislator	Legislator
Transportation	Motor Vehicles	Regulation of highway traffic	Legislator	Legislator
Transportation	Motor Vehicles	Registration and operation of personal vhicles	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Railroads	Regulation of Railroad and Highway crossings	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Railroads	Right of eminent domain	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Railroads	Railroad rolling stock regulations	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Aeronautics	Airports authority and zoning	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Aeronautics	Commercial air service improvement council	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Aeronautics	Pilot's licensure; license and registration of aircraft	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Highways, Roads & Bridges	Establish, manage, maintain and fund state highways	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Highways, Roads & Bridges	Regulation of highway rights-of-way	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Highways, Roads & Bridges	Contracts for construction and maintenance of roads & bridges	Legislator	Legislator
Infrastructure	Highways, Roads & Bridges	Closing or restricted use	Legislator	Legislator
Tribal Relations		Establish powers and duties of Wyoming Indian Affairs Council	Legislator	Legislator
Tribal Relations		Appoint Select Committee on Tribal Relations; powers and duties	Legislator	Legislator
Issues			Elected Office

Issues and Offices

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