Fifth Penny Sales Tax Would Pay for Vehicles for Sheriff’s Department

Laramie County Undersheriff Rich Hillegas says if voters approve re-authorization of the fifth penny sales tax in November the department would use most of it's share for vehicles and equipment.

He says the agency typically pays between $26,000 and $29,000 for new vehicles. He says it can cost somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 to properly equip the cars. Hillegas says where possible the agency transfers equipment from older vehicles to newer ones to save money, but he adds that isn't always possible.

Hillegas says the agency typically retires vehicles at around 90,000 miles, adding that usually means replacing between five and ten cars a year. Hillegas says the department has occasionally also used fifth penny money to help pay for bulletproof vests and similar items.

The fifth penny tax is used to fund a variety of projects, ranging from road and street work to parks and recreation to organizations such as the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.

Local voters have renewed the tax since it first went on the ballot in 1978.