Town, county set vote on 3-year START funding deal with JHMR, adding 7% cap

Jackson Town Council and the Teton County Commission are scheduled March 9 to vote on a three-year Transit Funding Agreement with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) intended to make the resort’s support for START service to Teton Village more predictable for budgeting purposes. The item is on the joint meeting consent calendar. (Special Joint Meeting agenda)

Under the agreement, JHMR would pay a calculated share of the cost of service on the “Teton Village Routes” (as updated annually), with annual payments based on START service hours, WYDOT federal assistance, START revenues, Area 2 revenue and ridership, among other inputs. The contract states JHMR is responsible for a portion of 65% of the cost of service on the Teton Village routes, calculated via an attached formula. (Agreement with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for START Service)

Two new caps are central to the deal. First, JHMR would not be obligated to pay for village-route service-hour increases above 7% of the prior year without its written consent; START staff said recent service planning does not anticipate increases above 5% on those routes over the next three years. Second, JHMR’s annual contribution increase would be limited to the greater of Western CPI or START/Town employee COLA/merit increases, capped at 7.5% year-over-year without JHMR consent. The agreement also sets invoicing timing (a February invoice for about half the estimated annual cost, with a true-up invoice due by March 1 of the following year) and applies a five-year-average Area 2 revenue offset capped at $500,000. (Agreement with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for START Service)