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Jackson and Teton County direct staff to prepare RFP for comprehensive-plan consultant after split county vote
Summary
Town and county leaders agreed to prepare an RFP for a consultant to help scope a comprehensive-plan update after staff reported the community has nearly reached the plan's 7% residential growth trigger; the town voted unanimously and the county approved preparing the RFP 3'0, with some commissioners urging a lighter, staff-led approach.
Town of Jackson and Teton County elected officials agreed Tuesday to direct staff to prepare a request for proposals for a consultant to assist with scoping and a possible comprehensive-plan update, after staff said the community has nearly reached the plan's growth trigger.
Miss Foster, the joint long-range planner, told the joint session that the comp-plan indicator report put residential growth at about 6.7 percent and that the plan's 7 percent trigger would prompt a community check-in. "We could ask a consultant to submit a proposal for a complete overhaul, or ask for targeted amendments — that is a very different scope and cost," she said, describing three options: a consultant-led outreach split by the MOU, a staff-led outreach, or a town-only targeted engagement.
Paul Anthony, the town's planning director, said staff has broken the work into two steps: a scoping/outreach phase to determine how big the update needs to be, followed by an FY27 consultant-led update if warranted. "I'm going to say we probably have reached the 7% growth trigger," Anthony said, adding that the 2012 overhaul and the lighter 2020 amendment meant many residents have not seen a full community check-in in more than a decade.
The town council moved and seconded the staff recommendation to prepare an RFP; the council approved the motion unanimously. County commissioners debated the scope, cost and staff capacity before agreeing to have staff prepare an RFP for FY27 and return with the document for further review. The county's motion passed 3'0, with two commissioners opposing on grounds that staff time would be diverted from other priorities.
Opponents cautioned against a large outreach effort this fiscal year. "There's an opportunity cost," one commissioner said, urging the board to preserve staff time for water-quality LDRs and other prioritized projects. Supporters said an RFP would clarify costs and timelines and allow the boards to evaluate consultant proposals before committing funds.
Staff estimated a streamlined update with outreach could be in the $200,000 range, but said the exact scope and cost would be determined by the RFP responses and further budget discussions for FY27. The motion directs staff to prepare the RFP and return it to the joint bodies; release and funding decisions will be addressed later when more precise costs are known.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to direct staff to prepare an RFP for a comprehensive-plan consultant (Town): mover Councilor Beaman; seconder Councilor Regan; outcome: passed unanimously (town council). - Motion to direct staff to prepare an RFP for a comprehensive-plan consultant (County): mover Commissioner Gardner; seconder Commissioner Macker; outcome: passed 3'0 (county commissioners); two commissioners voiced opposition citing staff capacity and competing priorities.
What happens next: Staff will draft the RFP and present it to the joint bodies for review; any funding commitment or contract award would be considered in FY27 budget discussions.
