Teton County commissioners reject placing additional 2% lodging tax on November special election ballot

Teton County commissioners voted 0–5 on July 1 against a resolution to ask the county clerk to place a countywide 2% local lodging tax on a Nov. 4, 2025 special election ballot.

The measure, if approved by voters and by the city of Jackson, would have been added on top of Wyoming's existing statewide 5% lodging tax (3% retained by the state and 2% returned to local jurisdictions), raising the total lodging tax paid by visitors in the county to 7% where the county and city both imposed the local add-on. Deputy County Attorney Keith Gainer briefed the board on the legal mechanics, noting the county must also secure the city of Jackson's approval for a countywide proposition and that an odd‑year special election would require the county to fund the election unless the city agreed to pay part of the cost.

Why it mattered

Commissioners and town officials said they broadly support exploring new visitor‑paid revenue to address local needs, from transportation and water‑quality projects to public safety and visitor services, but several commissioners said the special‑election timetable left too little time for community outreach and the coalition‑building that past lodging‑tax measures required.

Mayor Arne Jorgensen and Town Manager Tyler Sinclair spoke to the board about timing and outreach. Mayor Jorgensen said the town's budget projection for the additional 2% in their modeling was roughly $2,000,000 a year ("In our budget for 2%, it's roughly $2,000,000 or shy of $2,000,000 a year."), and said the town planned a July 7 council reconsideration to refine timing and strategy. Sinclair and the mayor emphasized they favored a countywide approach rather than a town‑only tax, and asked the county to continue discussions about timing and messaging.

Board discussion showed concern about short lead time before a November special election, the cost of holding a stand‑alone special election (discussed by commissioners as materially larger than adding the question to a general election), and the need for an expanded public education and fundraising coalition to support the measure. Commissioner comments also emphasized ensuring alignment between the town and county to avoid split rates inside and outside the city.

Outcome and next steps

Commissioner Carlman moved the resolution; it was seconded and put to a roll call vote. The motion failed 0–5 (all commissioners opposed). Several commissioners said they want to continue coordinating with the town and local stakeholders on timing and to consider options for future ballots (including possible May or a later November cycle) to allow time for outreach, coalition building and clearer alignment between lodging tax revenues and identified local funding needs.

Speakers (selected)

- Chair Keith Newcomb — Chair, Teton County Board of County Commissioners (speaker identified in the meeting) - Arne Jorgensen — Mayor, Town of Jackson - Tyler Sinclair — Town Manager, Town of Jackson - Keith Gainer — Deputy County Attorney, Teton County - Commissioner Mike Gardner — Teton County Board of County Commissioners - Commissioner Carlman — Teton County Board of County Commissioners - Commissioner Carman — Teton County Board of County Commissioners - Commissioner Probst — Teton County Board of County Commissioners

Authorities

- type: statute; name/description: "Wyoming lodging tax law (statewide 5% plus local option; 2020 amendment)"; referenced_by: ["place_lodging_tax_resolution"]

Actions

- kind: resolution identifiers: {resolution_number: "not specified"} motion: "Place a countywide 2% local lodging tax on the 11/04/2025 special election ballot (in addition to the statewide 5% lodging tax)." mover: "Commissioner Carlman" second: "not specified" vote_record: [] tally: {yes: 0, no: 5} legal_threshold: {met: false, notes: "Measure failed; county must also obtain approval from city of Jackson prior to placement on ballot if pursued in future."} outcome: "failed" notes: "Board recorded concern about short timeline for outreach; town council scheduled reconsideration for July 7, 2025."

Provenance

- transcript_segments: [{"block_id":"block_2207.01","local_start":0,"local_end":82,"evidence_excerpt":"The resolution to place a 2% lodging tax proposition on the 11/04/2025 special election.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_4154.41","local_start":0,"local_end":44,"evidence_excerpt":"Motion fails. 0 to 5, with all commissioners opposed.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

Searchable tags: ["lodging tax","local revenue","destination stewardship","Town of Jackson","special election","tourism"]