Town, county boards to try to settle parks cost split for new joint agreement

On Monday the Jackson Town Council and Teton County commissioners will try to set the cost split for the joint Parks and Recreation Department. The suggested motion would direct staff to draft a revised Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) using whatever percentages the two boards choose. Town and county staff "have not made a joint or individual recommendation," according to the October 5 packet. Members will mark preferences on a fillable sheet, and staff will tally the results to find consensus. The six cost areas add up to an estimated $9,282,261. Under the county's September 14 positions, the county would carry 56 percent of that. Under the town's positions it would carry 57 percent, a difference of about $100,000. The current agreement is a one-year extension at 60 percent county and 40 percent town, and it "shall terminate on June 30, 2027, unless sooner terminated or extended."

The original 2016 agreement split costs 54 percent county and 46 percent town, based on census population. A July 2024 funding memorandum phased that toward 62/38 for fiscal 2028. The boards took up the review at their July 6 meeting. After that meeting they narrowed six original options to two core structures, which they weighed on September 14. Monday's vote would only direct staff. The agreement takes effect on approval by the Wyoming Attorney General, after both boards adopt the redrafted text.