Jackson council holds midyear governance check-in; directs staff to compare town procedures with WAM and add retreat agenda item

Jackson Town Council on Sept. 15 devoted a workshop to a midyear check-in on council purpose, roles, rules and working agreements, and unanimously directed staff to analyze whether the town’s procedures should be brought into alignment with the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM). Council also voted to add a retreat agenda item to examine the council’s role and the information councilors need to perform their duties.

The workshop began with Town Manager Tyler presenting best-practice principles for high-performing governing bodies and an overview of the council’s statutory and policy roles. “The high performance board is competent, coordinated, collegial, and focused on unambiguous goals,” Tyler said, explaining the purpose of the session as a “safe space” to evaluate how the council and staff are working together.

Why it matters: Councilors and staff said clarifying shared expectations — about agenda setting, staff reports, meeting cadence and working agreements — will help the council prioritize limited meeting time and reduce friction when complex policy or development issues arrive. Several councilors said they want more structured guidance about what the council is legally required to do, what it takes on by choice, and what information is necessary for deliberative decisions.

Council discussion emphasized four themes: clarifying the mayor’s chair role and council rules of order; improving public engagement and proactive planning; rethinking the structure and purpose of staff reports so the council receives decision-ready information; and evaluating whether town policies align with WAM best practices.

Councilwoman Sperry thanked staff for the presentation and described the workshop as normalizing the council’s development process: “I feel like this is helping to normalize what we do,” she said. Multiple councilors echoed appreciation for staff availability while raising concerns about information flow, meeting fatigue and the need to keep the council’s attention on strategic priorities rather than reacting to frequent, detailed agenda items.

Motions and outcomes - Motion: “Direct staff to bring back a report identifying in the Town of Jackson’s policy and procedures specific items that can be brought into alignment with WAM’s policies and procedures by 12/31/2025.” Moved by Ramona Deaver; second not recorded in the transcript. Vote: motion passed unanimously (aye recorded; no individual roll-call names given). The motion appears in the staff report and was read into the record at the meeting.

- Motion: “Include on the agenda of the 2026 town council retreat an item exploring the role of council and the information needed by council to most effectively do its job, with particular emphasis on staff reports.” Moved by Councilor Jonathan Schechter; seconded (second recorded orally). Vote: passed unanimously.

Staff follow-up: Town Manager Tyler and Town Attorney Leah Kosso offered to prepare a scoping chart for the WAM items and a proposed retreat agenda. Tyler told the council staff would flag “easy lifts” versus more complex items and estimate staff effort for each suggested change so the council can prioritize without creating unmanageable staff workloads.

Context and next steps: The council has been together about six months since swearing in. Staff and councilors agreed October workshop time and the January/February retreat are logical places to continue the conversation; several councilors asked staff to return to the council with scoped options in advance of the retreat so the council can decide what to act on and what to phase into future budgets or work plans.

Ending: The council framed the decisions as midcourse corrections rather than wholesale changes; members emphasized the value of transparency and the desire to maintain an effective working relationship with staff as the group implements prioritized improvements.