[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6493670,"mediaKeyId","5528680-c8072063cdef7ccf49c657b651c08f63","parentId",5528680,"title","Consultant recommends weighted combination formula to fund Jackson Hole Fire EMS; staff to refine options","audioSeconds",2937,"startMs",342030,"endMs",3279985,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5528680-c8072063cdef7ccf49c657b651c08f63&start=342&end=3279","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5528680-c8072063cdef7ccf49c657b651c08f63/thumbnail_342030.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6493670/Teton-County/Wyoming/Consultant-recommends-weighted-combination-formula-to-fund-Jackson-Hole-Fire-EMS-staff-to-refine-options","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493670-5b3d008b177b105e044216d30c11903b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770416545&Signature=odrXxvP1zvZpPIe4SwowLSOAIaW-gT4qfU2i~ayEkc7B8v-FXa6mOdJbnrzhrlUMxWrkA97OttRtbgOC0oQd3lHb3kJZPDf0qrTCuQQVYIEQGG5H5gm5~EkFH318acgDAaQRLRiEpHl4HRjhL6WRNf9PTffM3z2ddwi-dMmck5WZnFqCGny0fZxt2PcdVaOTn04-~IGPI7YfJseoZm2AO53ipMhHHdE7u7ygqQS3BR1HysjhjRac4iRyI1wI8L8S~EQC3EKeSVN65kSuMr6IUR-LBUxKFsCErENvo08MoIHrYXNnwWoabJPWr6UNGKgHoxGNseiwO4SoAUpj3PBU1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Teton County","date","2025-08-04T00:00:00Z","article","Emergency Services Consulting International presented a joint funding assessment for Jackson Hole Fire EMS and recommended a weighted combination approach to allocate costs between the Town of Jackson and Teton County. The presentation documented recent budget pressures, data availability and next steps for negotiating a joint funding formula.

Chris Trudy, senior project manager for the consulting team, told the Town Council and County Board of Commissioners that there is no single correct formula for shared funding but that combined, weighted factors — such as incident counts, staffing and population served — give the most defensible basis for cost allocation. Trudy illustrated the approach with example weightings: an unweighted three-factor split (staffing, incident counts, population) and a weighted example that assigned 50% to incident counts, 30% to population and 20% to staffing.

Trudy described multiple single-factor and multi-factor options, including allocation by incident count, assessed value, response area or road miles, fleet/facility cost, staffing and population. He cautioned against letting negotiations start from fixed dollar amounts rather than agreed principles, saying, \"it's absolutely important that the negotiations take place on the value of the characteristics of the department and not necessarily with a calculator that's sitting with you.\"

Presenters and staff outlined the current shape of the department and its budget context: nonfederal Teton County covers roughly 1,900 square miles while the town of Jackson is about 3 square miles; the department operates six stations (two staffed, four primarily volunteer-supported), employs 46 career personnel and lists about 64 volunteers; the Fire & EMS fund balance has declined to about $0 after reserve draws in recent years. Trudy said the department's budget had grown more than 119% over the past five years, contributing to questions about equitable funding.

Financially, Trudy noted a prior funding split of about 46% town / 54% county had been adjusted to about 38% town / 62% county beginning in 2027 in recent agreements, with a potential reversion if no new formula is agreed. The consultant identified lodging-tax fluctuations and rising expenses as contributing to the department's funding stress.

Jackson Hole Fire EMS leadership and staff told the boards the department already collects much of the objective data that would underpin allocation formulas. The fire chief said regular reporting and the strategic planning process are being used to refine incident counts, staffing metrics and other performance measures; \"we collect a lot of data already,\" the chief told the boards.

Commissioners and council members asked about data collection burdens, the role of volunteers in staffing calculations (the consultant said a common practice is to treat roughly three volunteers as equivalent to one career firefighter for staffing formulas), and how to treat enclave or mutual-aid areas (such as Teton Village Fire District) for population or incident counts. Trudy noted most communities using combination formulas also employ rolling averages to smooth annual fluctuations and recommended negotiating chosen factors and weights before running dollar calculations.

Next steps: staff recommended each jurisdiction hold separate discussions to identify priorities and preferred weighting, then reconvene as a joint body. Town and county staff indicated they have preliminary weighting ideas but preferred to refine them with internal review first. Tyler Sinclair, town manager, said staff expects to continue the process and return to a joint meeting in October with proposed formula options.

Ending: The presentation was informational only; no vote was taken. Officials directed staff to continue data refinement and to work toward a proposed weighted formula, with follow-up conversations planned between town and county prior to a joint decision.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Teton County - Town Council Joint Information Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Emergency Services Consulting International presented options for a joint funding formula to support Jackson Hole Fire EMS and recommended a weighted combination of factors (incident counts, population, staffing). Staff and elected bodies will discuss weights and return to a joint meeting later in the year.","taxTitle","Teton County, Wyoming","taxId",63785,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6493675,"Town, County approve $47,000 amendment for e-bike safety programs after Pathways report",4804,3188260,7993125,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5528680-c8072063cdef7ccf49c657b651c08f63&start=3188&end=7993","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5528680-c8072063cdef7ccf49c657b651c08f63/thumbnail_3188260.jpg","/articles/6493675/Teton-County/Wyoming/Town-County-approve-47000-amendment-for-e-bike-safety-programs-after-Pathways-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6493675-e7fcfc6f617bcd90229d53b1ab6ef1e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770416545&Signature=fd6L18BF1AndLezbFZt3gLtuMQEf3iFfPP2YHDD6OyDsRG16Y0RBfDkJQ9Yh8vZ91QB7ryiU4uKDj3~0CjRL6~iWNNrrHZ0LEnCt42yWYkj-lyckRZ~HX4GrsQJVuPM8ORUKLW0BsRpe-Yx9TVudxMi-gRYvs9MKg9EEKDOjbiH8~04Wstj-fd-pGzvooJGVmkk42SvNVwK7lUKvuArgKbi9Dy5ru-APdxnBSZIFMcNqGqKWn4E3xjmXB0NuNiXamLPI5l~YJs-lxg8f0t4~tBBcx1VtaQ9CiLlcyJ9XgTwopB4jz4EYPsgVu4HI4pExuyhzdy~-0sm19pSqYU7sfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A joint presentation by Friends of Pathways and town staff that summarized community surveys, interviews and a stakeholder workshop prompted the Town of Jackson and the Teton County Board of Commissioners to direct staff to prepare a combined $47,000 budget amendment for pathways bike-safety work.

Friends of Pathways and town staff presented results of a spring community outreach process that included interviews with stakeholders, a public survey with about 1,300 responses and a multi-stakeholder workshop. Brian Schilling, town pathways coordinator, said the effort focused on e-bike safety but emphasized that many issues raised apply to cycling in general.

\"Speed is at the core of a lot of this,\" Alex Norton of OPS Strategies told the boards, summarizing the consultants' findings. Norton said survey comments and stakeholder interviews showed speed, rule noncompliance and interaction at pathway intersections as the most common sources of conflict between users.

Friends of Pathways offered six near-term priorities drawn from the outreach: expand school-based bike skills and parent education; keep class 1–3 e-bikes safe while keeping off-pathway vehicles off the system; launch a pathways ambassador program; adopt and align pathway regulations across jurisdictions; deploy low-cost safety improvements at intersections; and add calming/separation measures and targeted signage in congested areas.

Jim Rooks, bike-safety coordinator for Friends of Pathways, described an expanded school program and a plan to use an online course called Pedalace for middle-school safety instruction. Rooks said the group plans to extend instruction to all public and private schools and increase from roughly 1,200 students reached this spring toward an objective of 2,500 students across grades K–9 in future years.

Friends of Pathways outlined an overall budget for the program and reported existing outside contributions. Rooks said the group had secured funding from community partners (including foundation and tourism board grants) and asked the town and county to provide the final local share.

After discussion about timing and capacity, the county and town each approved motions to direct staff to bring forward a budget amendment for the pathways department to fund bike-safety programming. Commissioner Joe Probst moved the county motion and Commissioner Carlman seconded; Councilwoman Spear moved the town motion and Councilwoman Beeman seconded. Both bodies amended the requested amount and approved the county share at $25,380 and the town share at $21,620, to be added to the pathways budget and spent on bike safety. Each motion passed unanimously.

\"We want to radically expand\" school programming and the ambassador effort, Rooks told the boards, noting that some elements — school partnerships, ambassador design and law-enforcement cooperation — are already in motion.

Friends of Pathways emphasized that the approach blends engineering, education and targeted enforcement/encouragement. The group proposed a volunteer ambassador program that would include a seasonal stipend, branded e-bike and coordination with law enforcement liaisons; Friends of Pathways said earlier fundraising covers most ambassador start-up costs, while the town/county contribution would cover program expansion, school curriculum embedding, subsidized online courses for students and targeted intersection improvements.

Town and county staff said they will return with the formal budget-amendment documents and line-item breakdowns for the pathways account. The boards agreed the money should be available promptly to support fall schooling and the upcoming season of high pathway use.

The vote makes the amendment part of both jurisdictions' fiscal planning; staff will present the formal ordinance/amendment paperwork in line with each jurisdiction's budget process.

Ending: The pathway program leaders asked the public and private partners to continue fundraising and volunteer recruitment; Friends of Pathways said it will coordinate with the school district and law enforcement to begin program rollout in the coming weeks.

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Consultant recommends weighted combination formula to fund Jackson Hole Fire EMS; staff to refine options

Town, County approve $47,000 amendment for e-bike safety programs after Pathways report