Two measures that would have taxed each county in Wyoming for community college funding were shot down in Thursday's meeting of the Joint Education Committee.

Currently, seven counties house community colleges. The 16 counties without colleges are not taxed to support the college system, though they take part in college programs and services.

"The community colleges provide a statewide function," said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody. "We feel everyone in the state ought to step up and help the community colleges."

The first draft bill would have created a statewide mill levy and gathered funds from those 16 counties not currently taxed. The levy would have brought in an estimated $13 million from those 16 counties.

Members of the committee said the bill was basically taxation without representation, since not every county would have a representative on a college board.

"We're going to pay into a fund without any say," said Sen. Michael Von Flatern, R-Gillette.

Campbell County does do a lot to help its community college programs, Von Flatern continued, but he realized the need for even more support.

"I really do believe Campbell County, whether they want to hear it or not, needs to step up," Von Flatern said. Campbell County is home to Gillette College, a branch of Sheridan College. Unlike other counties with community colleges, however, there is no specific tax levy in Campbell County to pay for community colleges.

The second draft bill, brought forth by Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, would have combined community college districts with their service areas, thus creating new districts.

The counties in each district would have had the option of voting in up to four mill levies to fund the college serving the area. If a county did not approve the appropriate levies, state funds would have been withheld from the college.

The bill also contained language that ensured proper representation from the counties on college boards.

Tex Boggs, chairman of the Commission on Community Colleges, said his biggest concern with the bill was the potential for state funds to be pulled if a county chose not to vote in a mill levy. Boggs is also president of Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs.

Rep. Matt Teeters, R-Lingle, said the bill had the potential to be the most contentious one passed by the committee, and could possibly lead to a "blood bath" over how service areas would be formally decided.

"I do like what the bill intends to do," Teeters said, adding that the committee needs to find a way to equally fund community colleges.

Jennings said a time would come, sooner or later, when the committee would have to make a decision about equitable funding of community colleges.

"We should be willing to make these decisions," Jennings said. "If it turns out to be a blood bath to make these decisions, so be it."

The committee also passed a draft bill providing $15 million to community colleges for the development of work force training programs.

"This is a state screaming for workers," Coe said.

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.