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Town manager outlines FY27 budget plan, recommends $42% reserve target and limited draw of $817,000
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Summary
Town Manager presented a high-level FY27 budget review April 13, recommending a 42% general-fund target, a proposed $817,000 drawdown to balance FY27, continued investment in staff and infrastructure, and multi-year capital planning for projects like Gregory Lane.
Town Manager (speaking to the Jackson Town Council on April 13) presented the first FY27 budget review session, framing the effort as a five‑year model to move the town toward fiscal sustainability while maintaining core services.
"This budget is a continued investment in our staff and our core services," the Town Manager said, summarizing staff recommendations that include addressing water supply in West Jackson and Snow King Estates, rebuilding infrastructure, wildlife mitigation and street maintenance. Staff recommended a general-fund balance target of about 42% (inside the previously discussed 25–45% range) to provide resilience against volatility.
At the highest level, the manager recommended a smaller use of fund balance for FY27—about $817,000—down from FY26’s $2.6 million draw. The presentation set revenue assumptions (3% sales‑tax increase, 1% lodging‑tax increase, a property‑tax mill at 0.5 and a CPI-based fee increase of about 2.6%) and described major projected revenues: roughly $26.5 million from sales tax, which accounts for an estimated 75% of general-fund revenue.
Staff also highlighted significant capital exposures that informed the reserve recommendation. The Gregory Lane public-works project is the town’s largest to date (staff cited an approximately $18.5 million contract), and the manager said portions will span multiple fiscal years. For capital planning staff proposed a more defined five‑year CIP review to prioritize projects and clarify when and how funds will be spent.
The manager’s recommendation on staffing and positions was conservative: he recommended one START facilities maintenance technician (partially offset by federal funding) and converting an animal-shelter part‑time role to full time, but deferred recommending a requested water/wastewater engineer until further water‑fund analysis is complete.
The council engaged in detailed line‑by‑line questions about department budgets, capital, and software costs; staff said they will provide additional breakout reports, including a longer trend of town FTEs and department-level details, and will bring joint department items back in upcoming meetings with Teton County. The council set a schedule of follow-ups with joint county meetings on April 27–28 and additional town budget meetings in May and June to finalize decisions.
