Teton County commissioners reviewed the draft 2026 budget on July 7 and were told the general fund currently holds roughly $2,000,000 in remaining cash, a level staff said is intentionally high to cover potential liabilities and to maintain the county's required reserve. "Somewhere in the range of around $2,000,000 in remaining cash in the general fund," a county staff member told the board.

The board's nut graf: commissioners said they will consider limited, one‑time uses of that cash for retention and immediate needs while protecting a carryover equal to 30% of required reserves to keep operations running until property‑tax collections arrive.

Most discussion focused on short‑term allocations rather than permanent spending increases. Commissioners proposed using remaining cash for a one‑year contract for a recently hired deputy prosecuting attorney if the county cannot place that position on recurring payroll this year. They also discussed a potential pool of one‑time bonuses and a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) on the personnel side, noting that recurring salary increases would need sustainable revenue.

Commissioners repeatedly stressed the difference between one‑time and ongoing costs: using remaining cash to bridge a staffing or retention gap this year would require a plan to fund those positions in subsequent years. "If we were to spend it all, it would be a little over a million and then we'd have none," a commissioner said when the board considered how much of the remaining cash could be safely committed.

Board members discussed next steps for revenues, including a campaign for a permanent levy override on property taxes and other long‑term revenue options. They also directed staff to continue updating the budget spreadsheet (including June turnover numbers), to pencil in the short‑term deputy prosecuting contract as an option, and to assemble figures for any one‑time bonuses.

The board set deadlines for further decisions and a follow‑up meeting the week of July 18 to finalize changes ahead of the formal budget adoption process.

The meeting record shows these were discussion and direction items; commissioners did not adopt a final budget amendment at this session.