Laramie County Commissioner Keith "Buck" Holmes says not matter how much people might like to see cutbacks in county government, the growth of the county means some costs are going to go up.

Holmes says the fact is a growing population means more demands for roads, fire protection, and similar services. "We also have to have health and those types of things as well," he added.

He says that while "It would be nice to say no, we're not going to do this anymore," that isn't realistic in view of the increasing population. Local governments across the state ar facing revenue challenges due to a downturn in the state economy.

In addition to normal county government operations, about $120 million in sixth-penny sales tax proposal will go before local voters on May 2 in a special election.

Among the proposals on the ballot are numerous road and infrastructure projects as well as renovations for county fire stations and similar projects. some "quality of life" projects such as volleyball courts and a gymnasium are also on the ballot.

Voters will decide the fate of each of nine different project groupings, meaning in most cases they will vote on several different projects that are part of one proposition, rather than individual proposals.

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