Town approves FY26 joint long-range planning work plan; county delays formal adoption for further review

The Town of Jackson approved the fiscal year 2026 joint long-range planning implementation work plan on May 5, 2025. Teton County commissioners, however, continued their consideration of the same work plan to a future joint meeting to allow county staff time to incorporate recently added items and to clarify county-only projects.

Ryan Hostinger, the joint principal long-range planner, presented the work plan to the joint bodies and described an itemized schedule of updates and projects for town and county land development regulations, water quality LDR updates, PRD (planned residential development) tool review, and scoping for a future comprehensive plan update. Hostinger and other staff noted that some projects added after the meeting packet was posted — notably county work on a habitat mitigation-in-lieu fee program and follow-up to a Teton County Scenic Preserve Trust consultant study — had been included in an updated presentation shown at the meeting.

Town council members raised questions about the scope and organization of the work plan and whether it should be titled to reflect a broader program of multi-departmental activities. Hostinger responded that the work plan has evolved from a comp-plan implementation list and that, as more departments create their own work plans, work will shift accordingly. Several council members asked for scoping workshops and public outreach before any comprehensive plan update is launched; Hostinger said scoping, community survey work and request-for-proposal (RFP) preparations were anticipated in the coming year.

County commissioners pressed staff on county-specific items. Commissioners asked that the Teton County Scenic Preserve Trust work — the consultant product described as “status quo plus” — be clearly listed and tracked, and asked for a staff briefing on what resources (including potential new FTEs) might be needed if the county chooses to expand the trust’s role. County staff said ongoing work on the Scenic Preserve Trust is already included in the work plan as an ongoing task, and that next steps from the GSBS/GSBS consultant report will determine whether an additional FTE or other resources are required.

The town council voted to adopt the FY26 implementation work plan as presented. The motion passed on the town side (motion by Councilwoman Deaton). The county commission later moved to continue its action; the county motion to continue consideration until the governing bodies’ next joint meeting in early June carried 3–2 (Commissioners Gardner and Newcomb opposed). County staff said the continuation will allow time for interdepartmental coordination and to add clarity about county-only projects.

Key items noted by staff for the upcoming year include water-quality LDR updates tied to the county water-quality management plan, PRD tool review and the possible development of a habitat mitigation-in-lieu fee program. Hostinger also flagged that residential growth is approaching a “growth trigger” (about 7% residential growth), prompting scoping work for a possible comprehensive plan review.

The town and county agreed to return to the item at a future joint meeting; county staff will follow up with a revised package and additional detail requested by commissioners.