The Buzz: A clear mandate

Friday, December 05, 2008

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Although it was not the first time a majority of voters in Teton County, Idaho, have voiced a desire for change, the results of last month’s general elections could be interpreted as a clear mandate for county commissioners to focus their efforts to address the formidable growth issues plaguing the cash-strapped county.

Political newcomer Kathy Rinaldli, a former director of “smart growth” group Valley Advocates for Responsible Development, soundly unseated two-term incumbent Mark Trupp, a Republican with ancestral ties to Teton Valley, for the Driggs-area seat by more than 500 votes.

Trupp, considered the candidate of the Teton Valley “Old Guard” – conservative, landowning, once largely Mormon – had been since 2006 the lone county commissioner on the three-member board who continued to champion land rights, even as the valley suffered from the rampant residential development that has occurred in Teton Valley over the last two decades.

For the Victor seat, Democrat Bob Benedict, a newcomer both to politics and, relatively, the valley itself, defeated Republican challenger Kendall Jolley. Benedict and Jolley were vying for the seat of Democrat Alice Stevenson, who rode in with Commissioner Larry Young on the progressive tide of the 2006 election, when the two pro-planning and regulation candidates took the majority. Even the county clerk, who had strong ties to the old line, was ousted in 2006. A majority of voters this time around galvanized around the more progressive planning platforms of Rinaldi and Benedict, with each candidate defeating her or his opponent in the neighborhood of 2,500 votes to 2,000.

“A lot of people have come here from other places and they’ve seen the results of poor planning, like sprawl, where they’ve come from,” said Young, who chairs the board and whose Tetonia-area seat was not up for grabs under the county’s staggered two and four-year term system.

Teton County, Idaho, already bears scars of poor planning – scattered development; much of it, particularly in the more rural parts of the valley, has inefficient access to utilities – and also a population explosion in a state where laws make it difficult for rural counties experiencing rapid growth to capture money to fund public infrastructure.

The public school district needs from $10 to $20 million for facility expansion and improvements. Teton Valley Hospital, a rural healthcare facility owned and operated by the County, has been deeply mired in financial and management issues. It was rescued by voters in August when they passed a supplemental levy worth about $1.2 million annually, but that money will run out after two years. And the hospital has still had to cut many of its services, significantly limiting the level of healthcare Teton County, Idaho, residents can receive without traveling an hour or more to Jackson or Idaho Falls.

“The growth issues have caught up to us,” Rinaldi said in a in a phone interview this week. “While individuals feel growth can be a great thing, I think [voters] said ‘We see a lot of money, why don’t we see more services.’ And it doesn’t benefit the developer if we’re not funding services to all our subdivisions. It’s hard to sell a residential lot right now. When the hospital’s going bankrupt, it’s clear a balance has been ignored.”

It’s important to point out that Teton County has reached significant planning milestones in the last year. The County recently adopted a Capital Improvements Plan, a sort of road map to identifying needs and funding sources. Teton County is the first county in Idaho to adopt an impact fee program, believes Young, who – though cynical towards the Idaho libertarian streak that has made it difficult to fill his county’s coffers – is rather well-versed in Idaho’s state and county development law.

Beginning in early 2009, county officials will begin drafting a planned land-use map, a community vision of what kind of development should go where – very similar to the land-use maps Jackson and Teton County are currently developing for Jackson Hole’s own Comprehensive Plan update.

Following the housing bust of last year, Teton County, Idaho, has already seen new development plummet. The County planning department issued around 200 building permits so far in 2008, down from nearly 380 in 2007. Widespread and deepening economic troubles might mean a sharper drop off in 2009 for both new construction, and more troublingly, the revenue it does generate.

But some say a building halt could be just what Teton County, Idaho, needs to prepare for an inevitable next boom.

“Silver linings are all around,” Young said. “When the boom goes bust, people that came here just to make a buck will take off. It pares you down to a more committed community. Obviously, that’s a matter of opinion.” PJH

Courtesy photo
Bob Benedict

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