JACKSON, Wyo. — At the Special Joint Meeting on Monday, Aug. 31, Town Council and Teton County Commissioners met to discuss a $1.5 million shortfall in the START budget for the 2027 Fiscal Year (FY27) due to federal funding cuts.
START Transit Director Michael Toronto said in a presentation that the budget cut comes as a result of reduced funding from the Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 program. The program allocates money to the Wyoming Department of Transportation to support public transportation in areas with populations under 50,000.
At the meeting, officials considered five potential options to make up for the difference: fund the entire $1.5 million from Town and County general funds; initiate service cuts to public transportation services; increase fares (although it was noted that fares would not cover the full gap); implement a combination of service cuts, fare increases and general fund contributions; and pursue alternative funding sources for START, which would be a longer-term fix that likely could not be utilized in FY27.
One such example of a fare change: a proposed increase the $3 trip to Teton Village to $4, resulting in an $8 roundtrip cost to go between town and the ski resort.
Mayor Arne Jorgensen expressed sentiment against only increasing fares and shifting the full cost to commuters. “I do want to be careful of falling into this place of putting all the responsibility on the community at large for making up the shortfall,” he said.
START staff and board recommended a mixed approach, and general consensus among officials agreed with the sentiment, since fare increases alone couldn’t cover the difference, and too many service cuts would negatively affect both commuters in the valley and employees of START.
“We do not want to cut $1.5 million of service, absolutely,” said Commissioner Wes Gardner.
Staff will return to a joint meeting on Sept. 14, with a more specific recommendation to manage funding options and the budget shortfall. They will also discuss short and long term funding alternatives.
