Joint long-range planning work plan draws debate; town approves, county continues review to June

Town and county planners presented a proposed fiscal year implementation work plan for joint long-range planning on May 5, 2025. The Jackson Town Council voted to approve the work plan as presented; the Teton County Commission voted to continue its consideration until a joint meeting in early June after commissioners requested more time to review recent updates and clarify staffing and scope.

Ryan Hostinger, joint principal long-range planner, told the joint meeting staff began an organized review of long-range tasks earlier in the year and described a slate of town and county projects for the coming year. Staff highlighted items completed last year, an updated indicator dashboard that is being used more widely, and upcoming projects including a town NRO update, water-quality-related LDR (land development regulation) updates for the county, and scoping for a future comprehensive plan update.

Council members and county commissioners asked detailed questions about project prioritization, staffing and hours, and the status of a separate consultant report on the Teton County Scenic Preserve Trust (referred to during the meeting as a GSBS project). Councilman Schechter pressed staff on how the single work plan relates to multiple departmental plans and asked how the public should interpret the plan’s scope and success metrics. Commissioners asked that the Scenic Preserve Trust follow-up be more clearly represented in the written materials and questioned how an expanded workload would be resourced.

The Town moved to adopt the FY26 implementation work plan dated April 2025 and approved it in a voice vote. At the County level, Commissioner Carmen moved to continue consideration of adoption until the governing bodies next meet in early June; the county motion carried 3–2 (Commissioners Gardner and Newcomb opposed).

County staff told the commission they had updated the materials after a recent county workshop and that some items appearing in the presentation had been added following that workshop; staff offered to circulate the revised slides. County and town staff said they plan to bring a timeline for reviewing multiple JPAs and LDR amendments and indicated they will present additional detail about staffing needs, project scoping and any recommendations tied to resources at the follow-up meeting.

Discussion versus decision: the town approved the work plan; the county continued consideration, creating a split outcome that will be resolved at the next joint meeting. Staff emphasized the plan’s role as a living document meant to reflect joint and jurisdiction-specific projects, and said work already underway (for example, Scenic Preserve Trust tasks) remains in the pipeline regardless of the county’s decision to defer formal adoption.

Votes at a glance: Town vote — approve FY26 implementation work plan (voice vote, passed). County vote — continue consideration until early June (3–2, continued).