The Town of Jackson has rolled out its Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2026, and let’s just say: If you’ve ever wondered where your tax dollars, lodging taxes, and that random $50 parking ticket go, here’s your answer. Spoiler: It’s not to build you a gondola to Albertsons.
The Big Picture
- Total Budget (all funds): $95 million
- General Fund (core services): $38.5 million.
- Reserves Used: $2.3 million (because math is hard when health insurance goes up 18%).
- Reserve Policy: Keep at least 25% in the rainy-day jar. Town’s aiming for about 40%, which is more discipline than most of us show at a Happy Hour.
Priorities (a.k.a. What the Town Thinks You Care About)
- Employees: A 4.7% cost-of-labor adjustment plus a 2.3% annual increase, because even snowplow drivers have to afford rent here.
- Healthcare: Up 18%, proving once again that nothing inflates faster than the cost of Advil.
- Infrastructure: A complete rebuild of Gregory Lane (if you don’t know where it is, consider yourself blessed). Annual street maintenance, water and sewer fixes, and snow removal make up a big chunk.
- Capital Projects: EV charging stations (your Tesla will thank you), Stilson Transit Center, Broadway ADA upgrades.
- Community Services: Animal control, victim services, health and human services. Basically, everything that makes Jackson livable when moose don’t respect your property line.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Think of the General Fund as the Town’s checking account. Here’s who’s cashing the biggest checks:
| Department / Function | FY 2026 Budget | Town Spin |
|---|---|---|
| Public Safety | ~$13.96M | Because 13,000 police calls a year don’t answer themselves. |
| General Government | ~$9.3M | Translation: everything from the Mayor to IT to keeping the lights on at Town Hall. |
| Public Works | ~$4.13M | Streets, sidewalks, plows — all the stuff you notice the one day it’s not working. |
| Culture & Recreation | ~$2.64M | Pathways, parks, and making sure the Rec Center pool doesn’t turn green. |
| Health & Human Services | ~$1.55M | Funds nonprofits that pick up the slack when Jackson’s cost of living breaks people. |
| Community Initiatives | ~$478K | “Other stuff” the Town wants to brag about. |
| Transfers Out | ~$6.45M | That mysterious category that basically says, “Trust us.” |
Big-Ticket Projects
This year’s construction bingo card:
- Gregory Lane Complete Street: $11.33M — that road’s getting more work than a Hollywood facelift.
- EV Charging Stations: $5.58M — your Rivian is covered.
- Vine Street Fixes: $1.62M — you probably didn’t notice Vine Street, but now you will.
- Broadway ADA Improvements: $1.15M — good news for accessibility, bad news for anyone who enjoyed tripping on uneven sidewalks.
- Annual Street Maintenance: $1.53M — potholes beware (for at least a year).
Utilities: The Unsexy But Vital Stuff
- Water Utility: $5.2M in capital — safe drinking water, still cheaper than buying bottled.
- Wastewater Utility: $4.1M — because flushing is non-negotiable.
What It All Means
Every time you pay sales tax, lodging tax, or your property bill, you’re funding:
- Police calls, snowplows, and roadwork that hopefully happens in July, not January.
- A chunk of your neighbor’s health insurance.
- Capital projects like EV stations that make Jackson look a little more like Boulder every year.
- A reserve fund so that when things go sideways (fires, floods, or yet another federal shutdown), the Town doesn’t have to auction off the elk antler arches.
The Elephant in the Room
The fine print: expenses keep outpacing revenues. The Town dipped into reserves last year ($3M), is dipping again this year ($2.3M), and warns that in five years, the General Fund may not cover costs. Translation: either new taxes, higher fees, or cuts are on the table down the road.
So, enjoy that freshly paved Gregory Lane. You’re paying for it now, and probably again in 2030.
❓ What part of this budget do you actually notice in your daily life? The police budget? Pothole fixes? Or the EV chargers you’ll never use? Drop your thoughts in the comments, or better yet, in a Town Council meeting where they actually count.
AntlersArch founder and the voice behind Teton Tattle.
