Commissioners ‘consider’ sixth penny tax
for new Douglas ice hockey rink
By Jackson Day
Published in the Douglas Budget March 27, 2023
Published in the Douglas Budget March 27, 2023
For years the Douglas Youth Hockey Association (DYHA) has been exploring the possibility of getting a more permanent indoor ice rink in town. Discussions about a new ice rink have heated up again in recent months as the DYHA is proposing to raise $15 million for a new rink using the optional sixth penny sales tax.
The association asked the Converse County commission to put the tax on the ballot, and while they didn’t get a firm commitment, they said they felt encouraged to approach the municipalities for support. They already had asked the Douglas City Council for support in early March and went before the Glenrock Town Council Monday night.
To get it on the ballot, DYHA would have to get formal approval from three of the four municipalities and a formal resolution from the county commission. If it makes it on the ballot, voters across the county will have the final say.
WHY A TAX NOW?
Currently, the group sets up a rink at the Wyoming State Fairgrounds each winter, but DYHA President Aundy Luckenbihl said the facility is insufficient for the group’s needs.
As it is, Luckenbihl said DYHA teams start practices around a month after other teams across the state because DYHA isn’t given access to the space until the official hockey season starts, then volunteers must then spend six to eight weeks setting up the rink.
While the group was discussing solutions to this and other problems during a DYHA board meeting this past August, the long-standing idea to build a new facility was brought up again, Luckenbihl said. During the meeting, County Commissioner Rick Grant suggested the group might look into the potential of using the sixthcent sales tax.
“We were just trying to throw around some ideas on how we couldget some help building a building because the cost of construction has gone up so fast and so much that it is not feasible that we will ever raise the money ourselves,” Luckenbihl said after meeting with the Douglas City Council.
“In the discussion, Rick Grant had suggested that maybe we go on for a six penny sales tax and once the project is paid for then that penny sales tax goes away. I wasn’t thrilled with that idea, but I really think it’s our only option because, I mean, it’s going to be roughly around $15 million to build this.”
HOW IT WORKS
A sixth penny tax, also known as a specific purpose tax, would add an additional 1% sales tax for the purpose of a special project. As the county’s current sales tax rate is 5%, or five cents for every dollar, this specific purpose tax would increase the sales tax rate to 6%, or six pennies for every dollar. That extra penny is set aside for a specific project, in this case the ice rink, and the sixth penny tax would end after the project’s estimated funding (which is stated in the ballot measure) is reached.
It was last used to build the new (Douglas) and remodeled (Glenrock) Converse County Libraries and the Eastern Wyoming Campus in Douglas. But the tax is county-wide, meaning supporters would have to get Glenrock-area voters on board as well as Douglas residents.
Luckenbihl said that during the DYHA board meeting in August, Grant explained that once the project is completed, the county could potentially sign the property over to the hockey association (which others have said could raise legal hurdles, although it could be leased long term like the Dougals Boys & Girls Club building is). DYHA would then be responsible for the facility’s upkeep, maintenance and insurance.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
To help keep up with the maintenance costs, Luckenbihl said the facility would be available for other groups and individuals to rent. “After that meeting, I spent about three months figuring out how we’re going to run the facility in order to make it work for our community,” Luckenbihl said, explaining her plans to make the rink accessible to the public.
“The building that we want built isn’t going to be just for hockey. It will be for the whole community. It will only have ice part of the year and the rest of the year the building will be open to rent out for indoor soccer, arena football or even lacrosse. People could rent out for birthday parties, conventions or anniversary parties.”
The DYHA’s rough current plan is to build the rink on land they’re already leasing at Bartling Park. The facility is currently predicted to cost around $15 million and would include an indoor competition ice rink, another outdoor ice rink, skate rentals, separate locker rooms for home and rival teams, referees and coaches, a conference room and indoor and outdoor concession stands.
Luckenbihl said she believes a new rink would be beneficial for the city as she believes it would bring in new tax revenue as hockey teams and skaters from across Wyoming would travel to the facilities for games and other events.
“I have four to five (DYHA) teams every year that play at least 10 home games a season each, so I’m bringing people in from all over the state of Wyoming into Douglas in the middle of the winter. They’re staying in hotel rooms, they’re eating in our restaurants, they’re purchasing gas and they’re going into the convenience stores. And, they always stay the night because they play two games. Nobody else generates as much tax revenue as we do,” Luckenbihl said.
“If we get this building, we can have ice longer through the season and we can generate more tax revenue because we can host camps and tournaments.”
UPHILL BATTLE?
In order to enact the proposed sixth penny tax, citizens would have to vote for it in the upcoming county general election. But first, in order for the proposal to be on this year’s ballot, the DYHA must receive approval from three of the county’s four municipalities (Douglas, Glenrock, Lost Springs and Rolling Hills) as well as from the county commissioners and get all required paperwork submitted by late July.
Converse County Commissioner Chairman Jim Willox said they have concerns with the current plan but are open to further discussion.
“I think we’re all trying to find ways to help improve the situation for (the youth hockey association), but a new facility has lots of questions yet to be answered,” Willox said. “I don’t think the county has been interested in owning the facility.”
Among the concerns, the biggest was whether it’s even legally possible to use a sixth penny tax to fund the project, Willox said. To date, the tax has not been used for a project not directly associated with a governmental agency.
“(Something like this) has not been done in Converse County. Both the library and EWC . . . are owned by governmental entities. EWC is a governmental entity. The county built it and transferred (the property) to EWC but there’s actually a reversionary clause that says if they ever failed to use it as a college, it reverts back to the county. And then of course, the library is owned by the county, so I have not seen that model. I just don’t know if it’s possible. It raises its own set of questions and concerns if you do that,” Willox said.
Because of this, the DYHA is now looking at the possibility of having the city of Douglas own the building. The idea is that, if the city owns the building, the city could lease it to the DYHA, who would then operate the facility. This specific idea hasn’t been discussed with Douglas city officials yet, however.
Additionally, the commissioners informed the DYHA that because a sixth penny tax is county wide, any project funded by the tax would need to benefit the whole county. To do this, Luckenbihl said DYHA is looking to combine their rink project with another project that will have a more direct impact on the western side of the county.
“I have heard there are a couple projects that Glenrock wants to do, so I’m hoping this is the perfect opportunity for us to team up with them,” Luckenbihl said. DYHA presented their plan to the Glenrock Town Council March 25. Now, DYHA will be returning to the Douglas City Council to formally ask for support and propose that the city would own the building.
Throughout the discussions, it’s also been suggested the hockey rink might be built alongside the city’s proposed community center on Pearson Road. City Manager J.D. Cox said while the city is interested in this possibility, they understand DYHA is not.
“We don’t have clarity on the direction yet, but one of the key concepts that (we) have is built into the current concept is expandability of the community center, meaning that you could add a building next door . . . and share a parking lot, share resources, and that makes a lot of sense to the city council,” Cox said. “The council’s always been interested in sharing space and sharing resources, but that, heretofore, hadn’t seemed to be what the hockey folks are interested in.”
Luckenbihl said, “We have talked a little bit, but we’re not really interested in going over where the community center is. The city is not willing to pay anything for us to be over there. They just want us over there. “I feel like if the hockey club decides to go over by the community center and we go on the ballot for a penny tax, there’s no way it’ll pass. I think we have a better shot at it if it’s over at Bartling Park and away from the community center.”