Joint town/county set to apply human-services funding priorities to FY2027 requests

Jackson Town Council and the Teton County Commission are scheduled to meet jointly April 27 to review community applications for FY2027 Health & Human Services (HHS) funding and discuss how to allocate dollars using the priority tiers laid out in the community’s Human Services & Resource Allocation Plan. Staff’s recommended motion is discussion only — actual award decisions are expected to occur later in separate town and county budget meetings. (Health and Human Services Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and Application Review Agenda)

The allocation framework staff points back to sets “base allocation targets” meant to guide how the town and county fund nonprofit and human-service providers: 60% toward Priority 1 services, 25% toward Priority 2, 5% toward Priority 3, and 10% as a discretionary pool. Priority 1 categories include behavioral health, childcare and “violence, abuse and neglect,” while other needs (such as food security and transportation support) fall into lower tiers. (Teton County and Town of Jackson Human Services Plan Staff Report)

For FY2027, staff says the county Health Department has taken over administering the HHS funding program and revised the application and reporting process so requests can be categorized by service area and analyzed under multiple funding scenarios. Staff also proposes using a “light” prioritization approach as a starting point for allocating funds among applicants. (Health and Human Services Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and Application Review Agenda)