JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Town officials gave notice to their county counterparts that they will be taking their planner back.
It was announced at Monday’s regular meeting of the town council that Tyler Sinclair would be transitioning back to sole duties of the town planning director. Sinclair has acted as both town and county planning director since the departure of Jeff Daugherty who announced his resignation in December 2013 after seven years.
At that time, with the 2012 Comp Plan nearing completion and ready for implementation, town and county officials worked out an arrangement to share Sinclair. His salary was bumped to reflect working two jobs, with the county contributing $9,032 per month. The arrangement worked well for both government agencies for nearly four years.
According to town spokesperson Carl Pelletier, the cooperative management arrangement has been in place since 2014 and has allowed for and facilitated a positive and productive approach to updating the joint comprehensive plan and land development regulations for both entities. During this time the town and county have completed the major strategies identified in the Comprehensive Plan—adoption of the Integrated Transportation Plan, Housing Action Plan, rural zoning, town zoning, and housing mitigation requirements.
The workload has been significant, and with Comp Plan 2012 wrapping, it felt like the time was right to give Sinclair his old job back.
Town manager Larry Pardee commented, “Planning and building functions in a resort community require the most time and attention and we want to make sure we are providing the best services to the community that we can while not unduly overloading our key staff member in the process.”
Joint long-range planning will continue to be handled by Alex Norton and Regan Kohlhardt. Pardee feels the time is right to get Sinclair back to the business of the town.
“Our plan is to continue to support and partner with Teton County wherever and whenever we can to provide the best services to the community,” Pardee said. “This arrangement has benefitted both the town and the county and has built a foundation for working together and created a better understanding of the needs of both entities.”
The contract allows for a 90-day termination notice to give both entities time to plan ahead and secure the necessary staff and make any structural changes needed to move forward.
Mayor Pete Muldoon indicated, “We’re certainly here to help Teton County during the transition period and Tyler and our staff will continue to assist them and work closely together as best we can.”
The town council authorized this change as part of the town manager’s report at the regular town council meeting on Monday, June 18 in the Town Council Chambers.
