Tourism board presses for details on Teton Pass ambassador shuttle costs

If you commute over Teton Pass, the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board is still treating “ambassadors” as a real line item, and they are starting to ask the right questions about what the programs actually buy. In April minutes approved May 14, the board flagged big cost drivers in the Teton Backcountry Alliance’s FY27 Teton Pass responsible-winter-recreation proposal, including payroll increases, vehicle leasing, and higher shuttle fuel costs, and asked whether that fuel bump means more trips or just higher prices (Board Meeting Minutes).

The board also previewed detailed questions for other FY27 ambassador applicants: Friends of Pathways (why lease e-bikes instead of buying them, where ambassadors are stationed, and what they do at each location), a National Elk Refuge community engagement specialist request (are these new positions or a backfill, and what share of salary would be covered), and Friends of Bridger Teton (how volunteers are compensated, how much of staff salaries are covered, and whether a reduced ask means fewer “boots on the ground”) (Board Meeting Minutes).

On the money side, the board approved an amendment to its FY27 budget on a 7-0 vote with no discussion, and the treasurer reported $527,000 in February tax revenue deposited in April, $27,000 above budget, with $2.9 million cash on hand (Board Meeting Minutes).