START faces $1.5 million shortfall; joint boards direct staff to craft $750,000 municipal plan

The Teton County Board of Commissioners and the Town of Jackson Council met Aug. 31 to address a newly disclosed $1,500,000 shortfall in START’s fiscal 2027 operating budget after federal funding decreases.

Director Toronto told the joint body that START’s staff and board had developed five alternatives to close the gap: fully fund the shortfall from the town and county general funds; reduce START services and line items; increase fares; adopt a combination of those strategies; or pursue other, longer‑term revenues. "The main purpose of this meeting is to solve the $1,500,000 shortfall in the start fiscal '27 budget," Director Toronto said.

Staff estimated an initial package of targeted service reductions would find roughly $1.1 million in savings; with a recommended fare package the remainder could be narrowed, but staff said that some combination of cuts, fares and municipal funding would be required if partners did not provide additional revenue. Staff emphasized that larger service cuts would disproportionately affect peak riders and could lead to layoffs, while fare increases carried risks to ridership and equity.

After public comment and discussion, the joint boards voted unanimously to direct staff to return to a joint meeting on Sept. 14 with a set of options intended to produce approximately $750,000 of additional revenue split roughly 48% county, 32% town and 20% from partner contributions. The motion specified that fare increases should be prioritized over service reductions and asked staff to pursue short‑term supplemental and longer‑term funding alternatives. Commissioner Gardner moved the motion; Commissioner Karlman seconded it and the boards approved it unanimously.