START’s federal transit award: $3.4M for FY27 vs. $5.9M requested
START will tell the Town Council and county commissioners it learned June 3 it was awarded about $3.4M in FY2027 Section 5311 funding, roughly $2.5M below its request.
START plans to brief the Town Council and Teton County commissioners on a key number it got from the Wyoming Department of Transportation: about $3.4 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2027 Section 5311 funding, versus the $5.9 million START requested. The packet says START received notice on June 3, and staff characterized it as “significantly less funding than requested.” START Board Federal Funding Update Packet
This matters because 5311 dollars are the backbone reimbursement program for rural transit operations and maintenance, and START’s own fiscal section ties the lower award directly to a local budget gap. Commissioners should press for a plain-English accounting on Monday: how the $3.4M award was calculated, what assumptions START used when it asked for $5.9M, and what performance measures (ridership, cost per trip, farebox recovery, on-time performance) will be used to judge whether any local backfill is buying results, not just postponing the next shortfall.
Background
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
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 faces a $1.5M shortfall in FFY 2027 due to reduced federal funds, prompting possible service cuts or increased use of local General Funds. Final decisions are expected by September 2026.
Latest: 2026-10-01 — Start of FFY 2027; reduced federal funding takes effect. Further reductions expected through 2029.
curated as of 2026-08-07
Source Documents
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| July 6, 2026 | START Board Federal Funding Update Packet | packet |