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Advisory committee, county back $5 suggested river donation plan; commercial shuttle fee raised to $5
Summary
Teton County’s Waterways and Recreation Advisory Committee proposed a three‑part revenue bridge for river management — higher commercial fees, direct donations and continued AIS sticker funding — and the Board of County Commissioners approved raising commercial shuttle fees to $5 per user.
Teton County’s Waterways and Recreation Advisory Committee recommended a stopgap revenue plan on May 12 to fund river management while the county works toward a possible mandatory day‑use fee, and the Board of County Commissioners approved a $5 per‑user commercial shuttle fee increase and asked staff to set up donation channels and signage.
Joe McFarlane, chairman of the Waterways and Recreation Advisory Committee, told the commission the group has studied multiple revenue streams and recommends a three‑part bridge: increasing the commercial outfitters’ fee (the board approved raising the fee from $1 to $5), creating an easy way for visitors to donate directly toward river management via a county account, and continuing revenue from AIS (aquatic invasive species) sticker programs. "We made the recommendation that the fee that the commercial outfitters were paying go from 1 to $5," McFarlane said, adding that the committee expects that change to generate roughly $15,000–$20,000 annually from commercial users.
The committee proposed a suggested $5 donation program at boat ramps and in local outfitters' shops, using QR codes on signs that link to a county account earmarked for river access and management. "The signs would let users know where the donations are going," McFarlane said, describing plans for small signs at public access points and printed materials in shops.
Commissioners asked the committee to return with draft sign language, cost estimates and an account structure. Public Works Director Daryl Johnson said parks and recreation or road and bridge funds could cover sign installation; commissioners set an informal target of having donor signage in place by July 1 to coincide with peak boating season.
The board also moved forward with two commercial use permits for river shuttle services and approved their three‑year terms. The county’s commercial use ordinance gives prior permit holders the first right to reapply; commissioners approved permits for the two applicants listed on the agenda.
Committee and commissioners discussed enforcement limits while the county builds a funded ranger or ambassador program. The advisory committee said the suggested donation approach is intended to build a sustainable pot of money that could fund ambassadors and deferred maintenance, and to act as a bridge to a mandatory sticker or day‑use program if the county later pursues that direction.
