Council reviews FY26 budget priorities: joint departments, START transit funding and liquor‑license fee proposals

Town staff presented an overview of the proposed FY26 budget, and the Jackson Town Council spent the meeting reviewing joint departments shared with Teton County, proposals to adjust transit service and vehicle purchases through START, recommended changes to the annual fee schedule (including liquor‑license fees), and a list of aspirational expenditure items council members may ask staff to add to the draft budget.

Town Manager Tyler, together with staff presenters identified as Mr. Thompson and Mr. Sinclair, summarized the joint‑department request and the options available to council. Staff noted a recently negotiated funding split of roughly 57/43 (town/county in that memorandum of understanding) for some joint departments and said the council could instead offer fixed dollar contributions to specific joint departments or reopen negotiations about the split. The council and staff scheduled a joint meeting with Teton County on the next Tuesday to continue discussions about funding levels.

Transit and START: Staff recommended funding a 0.5 FTE transportation demand‑management coordinator this year (the town did not fund the position last year) and discussed START’s service proposals, including pilot routes and van‑pool options. Council members raised the prospect of upgrading some planned bus purchases from diesel to diesel‑hybrid power; staff said the additional incremental cost to move some vehicles to hybrid technology would be roughly $200,000 (town share) for the proposed bus order. START’s contracted revenues include fares and third‑party contracts; one contract amount mentioned during discussion was $100,375 (JHMR contract true‑up). Council members differed on priorities between adding routes, pilot programs such as a vanpool, and vehicle purchases that reduce per‑vehicle emissions.

Fee schedule: Staff proposed raising several fees in the annual schedule, including taking the bar‑and‑grill renewal fee to the statutory maximum (proposed $10,500 for new full‑year licenses and a higher renewal fee). Council members asked staff to notify affected license holders and to return with additional detail; the town indicated most fee revenue goes into the general fund, while water and sewer fees go to enterprise funds. Council members discussed policy tradeoffs — for example, sales tax is regressive and lodging tax proposals could be structured countywide or municipal only; staff noted election costs for a ballot measure would add up (estimates discussed in the meeting ranged from $50,000 to $75,000 for a special election) and that timing matters if council wishes to place a tax measure before voters.

Joint long‑range planning and staffing: The council discussed long‑range planning staff. Staff said the current joint arrangement funds one dedicated joint planner (Ryan Hostetter) and staff recommended maintaining the status quo this year rather than filling a second joint position. Council members asked for clearer reporting on long‑range planning deliverables and how town‑specific work would be prioritized within the joint arrangement.

Aspirational items and revenues: Council members submitted a list of aspirational spending priorities for discussion, including a capital maintenance/depreciation fund for town facilities, additional spending tied to housing programs, and investments in operational modernization (a deputy/town COO role and programmatic modernization). Staff described the option of using discretionary general‑fund balances or pursuing new local revenue sources (municipal sales tax, lodging tax or additional property tax mills) but noted the tradeoffs and timing constraints of voter‑approved measures.

Next steps: Staff will distribute requested follow‑up information, including more detail on START contracts and proposed fee changes, and the town and county will continue the joint budget discussion at the scheduled joint meeting. No final budget vote occurred during this meeting; council members indicated preliminary priorities to guide next week’s joint discussions with the county.