Gordon proposes $11.1B biennium budget

CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon officially released his 2027-28 biennium budget on Monday following a Friday news conference to discuss the proposal.

The plan, titled “The Essentials,” totals $11.13 billion in recommended appropriations. Some is routine spending, while other items in the document are outliers after the Wyoming Legislature failed to pass Gordon’s supplemental budget in 2025.

In his message to the Legislature, outlined in the first nine pages of the document, Gordon wrote that he grounded his budget in core principles that support strong friendships, strong families, a strong economy and strong communities. He also stated that the function of government is limited to providing the essentials that communities and residents cannot provide on their own.

“Some suggest this is the time to cash in, take care of ourselves, and stop worrying about Wyoming’s future or our children. These are the actions that seemingly guided our nation for the last couple of decades as Washington, D.C., piled up debt without regard to consequence,” Gordon said in his budget message.

Fiscal responsibility and savings

The governor noted that the general fund portion of his budgets since 2019, when he took office, have increased at an average of 3.5% per year, closely tracking the overall Consumer Price Index.

The state’s financial stability is increasingly reliant on investment strategies, outpacing all other revenue streams in the most recent revenue report earlier this month to an “all-time record.”

Gordon noted that income generated from permanent trusts is expected to be the largest source of revenue this year. For the upcoming biennium, investment earnings for the general fund are anticipated to reach $913.7 million, and the budget recommends permanent savings of $250 million. Gordon said the idea is to prepare for future economic hardships.

“Despite all that will be said, this budget — like those before it — is fiscally responsible, consistent with modest, essential growth to maintain the essential services our citizens expect, and within the norms of overall inflation,” Gordon wrote. “Nostalgia is sweet, but it is not a recipe for the future. We cannot budget in the past to prepare for our future.”

Workforce and health

Central to the governor’s definition of “essentials” is the state’s workforce. 

To retain competent and skilled workers and combat high vacancy rates, the budget requests funding to ensure competitive compensation. The proposal includes approximately $112 million that Gordon said is necessary to bring the salaries of state employees up to comparable 2024 market values.

In addressing health care access, Gordon acknowledged that delivery, quality, expense and access significantly impact Wyoming’s aging and growing population. On Friday, he said this remains a priority, especially following the loss of child delivery services in Evanston.

He said he recommends increases to care for people with developmental disabilities, boost home health reimbursements for high-needs children and improve access to maternity services. 

Though there are no dollars specifically allocated for these goals outside of the funds designated for the Wyoming Department of Health, Gordon notes that this will be addressed in the state’s application to the new federal Rural Health Transformation Program.

In his budget message, Gordon also discussed the importance of supporting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, suggesting Wyoming step up to mitigate the reduction of federal funds for the program.

He also supports providing locally grown, healthy foods in schools.

Public safety and immediate needs

The budget directly addresses public safety challenges, particularly wildfires.

Gordon urges the Legislature to support recommendations to enhance firefighting capability, including establishing two firefighting modules, an initiative for which $4.6 million has been requested.

The governor also proposed a plan to replenish the Emergency Fire Suppression Account, which is typically kept around $20 million.

Due to the failure of the Legislature to pass a supplemental budget last year, the current biennium budget also includes several immediate, recurrent requirements:

$9.3 million to cover the cost of housing prisoners out of state

$101.4 million for Adult Community Corrections to support the reintroduction of prisoners into communities

$9.7 million for fixed inflationary costs related to food, medical care and utilities for the Department of Corrections

Property taxes and core industries

Although local entities’ revenues have dropped following recent property tax reductions, the governor upheld the traditional commitment to fund communities through a $105 million distribution from the general fund. 

However, he suggested this amount could be decreased if the Legislature approves a bill diverting sales tax revenue to local governments, an idea Gordon said he supports. The budget also recommends $27.2 million aimed at providing direct property tax relief to struggling homeowners.

For core industries, including energy, mining, agriculture and tourism, the budget emphasizes competitiveness.

To capitalize on the resurgence of the nuclear industry and demand for resources, Gordon recommends funding the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to ensure timely processing of energy development permits.

Also, the proposal seeks funding to reinforce legal and technical efforts to protect Wyoming’s water rights, particularly concerning the Colorado River Basin, requesting around $5 million for water litigation and $740,000 for two dedicated full-time positions.

“It’s time we understand that we can’t regulate ourselves into the future. We’ve got to innovate ourselves into the future,” he said Friday.