START FY27 budget update shows lower county/town ops support, $6.1M capital plan
START’s April 15 board packet lays out a $15.16M FY27 recommended budget, with federal/state grant revenue up and local operating contributions down. The budget also proposes $6.12M in capital outlay, largely for bus and facility projects.
The START Board’s April 15 budget update outlines a FY27 recommended START Bus System Fund budget of $15.16 million in total sources and $16.37 million in total uses, drawing down the restricted fund balance by about $1.21 million under the town manager’s recommended scenario. The packet includes the FY27 budget tables, service/fare assumptions and a note that a “joint budget discussion” is planned for April 28. See: START Board Meeting Agenda Packet.
On the revenue side, the FY27 recommended budget assumes intergovernmental grant revenue of $11.72 million (including $5.03 million in FTA/Wyoming 5311 and $4.06 million in FTA 5339 capital for buses). Local operating contributions are projected to decline: Teton County’s operations contribution is shown dropping from $1.48 million (FY26 amended) to $1.05 million (FY27 recommended), and the lodging-tax operating transfer is shown decreasing from $1.12 million to $0.99 million.
On the spending side, the FY27 recommended budget totals $16.16 million in expenditures, including $8.00 million for transit operations and $6.12 million in capital outlay. The table shows transit administration rising to about $2.04 million and a transfers-out line of about $210,000.
If Jackson’s Town Council takes up the FY27 START budget update following the board’s April 15 action, the START packet indicates the key policy questions will be how to balance service levels and the capital plan against the projected fund-balance drawdown and changing local contribution levels.
Background
On July 23, 2026, the START Board voted 5-1 to approve $1,118,000 in service and budget cuts as a contingency if Town and County General Fund support for a $1.5 million shortfall was not pursued.
Latest: 2026-10-22 — START Board votes 5-1 to approve initial service and budget cuts totaling $1,118,000 as a contingency if primary funding is not pursued.
curated as of 2026-10-22
START will receive $3.4M in FY 27 Section 5311 funding, $2.5M less than requested, leading to service and project reductions across Town/County programs.
Latest: 2026-06 — Town Council set HHS and CI funding at $1.5M for FY 27, a 17.7% reduction from requests; most nonprofit and community programs face proportional cuts or eliminations.
curated as of 2026-07-04
In September 2026, Teton County and Jackson approved $633,638 in START service reductions for FY27, including late-night bus cuts and administrative savings, to address a $1.5M budget shortfall after federal funding dropped.
Latest: 2027-01 — New fare structure scheduled to take effect, pending Title VI review.
curated as of 2026-10-29
Source Documents
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | START Board Meeting Agenda Packet | packet |