Teton County, Jackson approve $50,000 pilot to help affordable homeowners with accessibility upgrades; broader preservation options discussed

April Norton, Teton County housing director, asked the Teton County Board of Commissioners and the Jackson Town Council on Sept. 8 to authorize a pilot “accessible home improvement no‑interest microloan” program funded by a Community Foundation grant.

Norton said the county received a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation housing initiative fund to test a short pilot that would make up to $8,000 available per qualified household for accessibility or supportive‑housing improvements. The program would offer three repayment options: quarterly payments, a balloon payment at five years, or repayment at sale or refinance. Norton said staff plans to work with county legal and the Housing Authority Board to finalize program documents and begin implementation on the first Monday in October (Oct. 6 as proposed in the staff presentation).

The board and council voted to authorize the Housing Authority Board to work with county legal to implement the pilot. The motion on the county side passed by voice vote and was recorded as unanimous; the town recorded a parallel unanimous vote.

Why it matters: Norton framed the microloan pilot as a targeted, short‑term tool to help current affordable homeowners — particularly those aging in place or with disabilities — make modifications that allow them to remain in their homes. The county’s broader housing strategy includes both production incentives for new workforce units and capital preservation tools to keep existing units affordable.

Details of the pilot and staff rationale

Norton told elected officials the pilot is limited to existing affordable homeowners and is meant to produce learning about which repayment terms and project sizes are most useful. “We only have $50,000. We aren’t really sure what we’re going to learn,” Norton said, and described the program as designed to capture a range of likely needs from small, permanent modifications (grab bars, nonslip flooring) to larger items (lift seats or stair chairs) that may exceed the $8,000 cap.

When asked whether $8,000 would be sufficient for larger modifications such as stair chairs, Norton said the program may not cover every need and that data from the pilot could justify raising the per‑household cap in future iterations: “It may be that we come back and say everyone needs a stair chair, and we’re going to need to increase this to, you know, $25,000 per household.”

Discussion of outreach, success metrics and partnerships

Commissioners and the mayor pressed staff on outreach and measurement. Norton said targeted outreach to homeowners identified as aging in place will be a priority and suggested a short performance lens for the pilot: spend the grant within six to nine months and collect follow‑up data on whether households remained in their homes for multiple years after improvements.

Mayor Mary Jorgensen and council members asked whether local nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity or the Jackson Hole Housing Trust could be engaged. Norton said staff had discussed sharing lessons with those partners and would consider funding partnerships if opportunities arise after the pilot.

Housing preservation and related programs

Staff also updated the boards on housing preservation work that is not part of the immediate vote. Norton summarized existing preservation targets in the county’s housing supply plan and related programs:

- The housing preservation program previously set a five‑year goal to permanently protect 15 homes (and 10 homes when combined with historic preservation targets in a separate line item). Norton said the current target is modest because the program is not yet funded or fully established.

- Current available funding for the housing preservation program is roughly $850,000, she said; that sum will limit how many deed‑restricted units the county can acquire under current per‑unit caps.

- Historically the county’s public investment per unit in public‑private partnerships has ranged from below $100,000 to about $250,000, Norton said; earlier deed‑restriction purchases were structured as a percentage of unit value (for example, 10% for workforce rental capped at $100,000, and 20% for workforce ownership capped at $200,000), and rising market values have strained those formulas.

Norton said staff will return with a spectrum of preservation options and associated budget scenarios early next year so elected officials can consider a more robust preservation funding path. “Here are the options and here’s how much money it costs,” she told commissioners, adding that staff intend to present alternatives so the boards can choose the scale of investment.

Accessory Residential Units, deed‑restriction on new construction and a pilot rehab

Norton described work on an ARU (accessory residential unit) guide to help homeowners navigate approvals and construction but said an ARU subsidy program without permanent deed restrictions may not advance workforce goals. She said the county’s current approach prioritizes permanence — deed restrictions — for preserving units for local workers.

Norton also noted an upcoming design‑build RFP for rehabilitation of the Benson Cabin at Parkside as a pilot for preserving historic housing and potentially yielding another employee housing unit.

Public comment and local project update

Becky Kimmel, a volunteer and capital‑campaign co‑chair for the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, spoke in support of the county’s preservation tools and said the church has raised $8 million of the $12 million needed for phase 1 of a 10‑townhome workforce project called Homestead. Kimmel said the church intends to deed‑restrict all 10 townhomes in the first phase and is targeting a February groundbreaking with occupancy anticipated in 2027.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: “I move to direct and authorize the Housing Authority Board to work with county legal to implement the accessible home improvement, no‑interest microloan pilot program.” Mover: Commissioner MacKer. Second: Commissioner Karman. Outcome: approved by unanimous voice vote (county and town passed parallel motions). Vote tallies were recorded as unanimous voice votes; numeric counts were not specified in the transcript.

What’s next

Staff will finalize legal documents with County Legal and the Housing Authority Board and begin the pilot program as proposed on the county timeline. Norton said staff will return to the boards with a range of housing‑preservation funding and policy alternatives, and will pursue targeted outreach for the pilot’s eligible homeowners.