START’s $30/hr driver wage proposal hits FY27 joint budget buzzsaw

Keeping workers housed here depends on a transit system that can actually hire and keep drivers. In Tuesday’s FY27 joint budget review, START asked to raise hourly pay for six operators by $2.41, to $30/hour (a $126,000 increase), but the Town Manager did not recommend the adjustment, according to the joint meeting packet. START also requested $422,500 for a Teton Village Express route using Salt Lake Express; that too was not recommended. Source: FY27 Joint Department/Division Budget Review agenda.

Those line items might read like inside baseball, but they translate into whether late shift hospital staff, service workers, and employees living downvalley can rely on transit instead of fighting for scarce parking or paying Jackson rents. If START cannot compete for drivers, “service levels” become a budget abstraction that shows up as missed trips and longer headways, and that pushes more households toward second cars and longer commutes.

The packet also flags $100,000 for a Town and County comprehensive plan update (a 6 to 12 month, reduced scope process) and a $70,000 request to update the Integrated Transportation Plan (including governance and RTA). There is no public comment at this joint meeting, with public input slated for later hearings. The final scheduled joint meeting for amending joint budgets is June 1.