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Town and county begin joint budget talks as funding split shifts and JPAs face review
Summary
Jackson and Teton County officials opened a joint budget review April 29, outlining a new funding split for joint departments that shifts roughly $780,000 from the town to the county in FY2026 and promising a review of joint powers agreements and other MOUs in the coming year.
Jackson and Teton County officials opened a joint budget meeting April 29 to begin deliberations on the 2026 fiscal year, highlighting a change in the formula that funds departments the two governments run together and flagging a planned review of joint powers agreements.
The most immediate budget impact officials described is a funding-split change that shifts $618,000 in operations and $130,000 in capital from the Town of Jackson to Teton County for FY2026 — a total of about $780,000. County Administrator Jody Pond and Town Manager Tyler Sinclair told the elected bodies the split change will continue to evolve in subsequent years under a memorandum of understanding signed last year, and that the town and county have agreed to review joint powers agreements, MOUs and similar documents over the coming year.
Why it matters: Joint departments such as START transit, Fire/EMS, Parks & Recreation and housing represent a large portion of the joint budgets. A structural shift in how those costs are divided changes each jurisdiction’s operating pressure and will affect near-term decisions on staffing, capital replacements and the level of services for shared programs.
Pond and Sinclair repeatedly framed the meeting as a high-level review rather than a final set of funding decisions, saying the day’s presentations were intended to surface questions and identify items for deeper discussion at follow-up meetings. Sinclair said the county’s recommendation assumed no net increase in joint staff or levels of service across the board; the town recommended a 7.2% wage adjustment while the county recommended 6%.
County Treasurer Katie Smith reminded officials of the county fund-balance policy that sets a minimum unassigned fund balance equal to 15% of prior-year audited revenues (excluding intergovernmental transfers). Smith said joint funds that exceed that threshold can be used to offset next year’s general fund contributions for town and county joint departments; conversely, a fund-balance shortfall must trigger a replenishment plan.
Other budget drivers officials repeatedly cited included federal grant uncertainty for several programs and the practical effect that federal grant reductions would have at the local level. The town and county staff asked elected officials to identify items they wanted to discuss in more depth at future joint sessions and said they would return with more detail on questions raised during department presentations.
Ending note: Elected officials scheduled further budget work in early May and early June; staff said they will circulate follow-up materials and recommended talking points about any items officials want to restore or change in the recommended budgets.
