Joint budget packet: Fire/EMS seeks $10.9M, points to permit-driven workload

The Special Joint Meeting Agenda Packet for April 28 lays out the Town Council and Teton County Commission’s FY2027 joint budget review, with Fire/EMS & Emergency Management on the agenda mid-morning. There’s no public comment at this session, but it sets the table for the May 12 work session and June 1 final joint meeting.

The Fire/EMS budget summary is worth reading closely if you live outside the core of town and depend on response times over long distances. Jackson Hole Fire/EMS is requesting $10,863,964 for FY2027 (a 3.9% increase over FY26 adopted), including $4.69M in salaries, $2.17M in benefits, and $2.87M in non‑payroll operations. Capital is shown at $960,150 (down from $1.415M in FY26), which is where the real tradeoffs often hide when stations, apparatus, and rural coverage needs stack up.

On the revenue side, Fire/EMS projects $1,164,464 in FY2027 revenue—up about $194k—citing improved EMS transport collections with a new third‑party billing company and a 2025 fee schedule that added prevention-side fees (fire permits, plan review, existing building inspections, and reinspections). The packet also notes a “significant increase in fire and electrical permits,” which is a quiet tell: more building on the valley floor and rural edge means more inspection load, more plan review, and more calls—whether or not the tax base keeps pace.