Teton County commissioners voted Friday to approve a nonbinding letter of support for the Teton Regional Economic Coalition’s (TREC) application to the Idaho Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Professional grant, saying any county match would be considered only if funds are available in the county’s FY2026 budget.

The letter, read aloud during a special meeting and approved by motion, notes that Teton County provided $40,000 in community match funds in fiscal year 2024 and says the Board “plans will consider a similar match for fiscal year 2026 should funds be available.” The motion to approve the letter passed after a second and an oral “aye” vote; an individually recorded roll-call vote was not taken in the meeting transcript.

The discussion centered on whether the county could commit money now or should make a conditional pledge tied to the upcoming budget process. Andy Epperson, identified in the meeting as a representative of TREC, described the organization’s finances and the consequences of failing to meet grant-match requirements. “If we can’t meet our our minimum cost, we will lose the grant from the SBDC as well,” Epperson said, adding that the loss would include roughly $19,800 routed through the Small Business Development Center and could jeopardize TREC’s ability to operate without additional county or private support.

Epperson told commissioners TREC’s operating budget was about $108,000 and said the overall minimum match required for the grant was $21,000. Because the cities of Driggs and Victor had already committed funds, Epperson said the minimum amount Teton County would need to provide to secure the grant would be about $12,000, but that level would not cover TREC’s operating costs. He estimated the county match needed to keep the organization “afloat” at roughly $27,000 to $30,000 after identifying cost reductions such as giving up office space and cutting travel and event expenses.

Commissioners repeatedly warned of tight county finances and the difficulty of committing funds before the formal budget process. “I’m really having heartburn of committing any money at this point in time,” one commissioner said during the discussion. Another commissioner said, “I don’t wanna see TREC go by the wayside,” but asked that any county pledge be contingent on available funds after the FY2026 budget is completed.

Commissioners and Epperson discussed other revenue sources and fundraising. Epperson said TREC had received about $44,000 in private donations this year, most of which went to website management and development, and that the organization also receives a roughly $19,800 commitment through the University of Idaho SBDC. He said TREC is separating discoverytetonvalley.com from the regional economic work so the nonprofit can focus on business resources and recruitment.

The approved letter of support, as read in the meeting, affirms Teton County’s historical partnership with TREC and states the county will consider a similar match in FY2026 “should funds be available.” Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the letter as read; the chair called for and received an oral “aye” and declared the motion carried.

The action does not commit the county to a dollar amount; it records a conditional intent to consider a match during the next budget process. Epperson warned that failing to meet the grant’s minimum match would mean returning grant funds and losing related funding streams, potentially affecting TREC’s operations.

The special meeting opened and closed the single agenda item; commissioners said they would revisit funding through the county budget process and encouraged TREC to seek additional private or city matches before the FY2026 budget decision.