Astute visitors to Teton County notice three things: that no matter the horizon, your gaze hits a mountain range that appears untrammeled; that some form of wildlife could and often does appear around any corner; and that the community surrounded by those ranges is vibrant, alive with small businesses, art, music and other forms of culture and entertainment. To a visitor, that’s Teton County.
Workforce housing opportunity: one and a quarter acre a mile from Wilson. $3,000 an acre! Alas, dateline 1967. Based on the Federal Reserve’s measure of CPI, that’s about $21,000 in today’s dollars. It was the price Margaret Schofield was asking on 5-acre parcels just south of Wilson when four river guides/ski area workers/off-season laborers threw their money together, bought a parcel and split it equally among themselves. Say you built a 1,500 sq. ft., Bob Koedt-design, house for $13 ($91 now) a square foot, including your laborer’s wage of $1.80/hour ($13/hour now), with the help of a $17,000 ($120,000 now) loan from Felix Buckenroth. Voila! You have housing for a family of five. Today? Not so fast.
Tax day! The good news is you don’t owe Teton County any income tax. Or Wyoming. But if you live in the county, you’ll likely contribute something to the county’s coffers before the day is over. The county collects over $23.5 million in tax revenues from two primary sources: sales and use taxes on what and how much we buy, and property tax on the value of our home and land. More good news is that while those collections are high on a per capita basis, nationally our effective local tax rate (percent of sales and percent of land value) is relatively low.
A county commissioner represents you more directly than any other elected official. County commissioners are the foundation of a democratic layer cake that get’s more distant the higher you go. In under-populated Wyoming, we run into our politicians more than most. But congressmen and women are often busy in Washington. And because of gerrymandering, your state representative may represent a significant number of constituents in another county as well as you. Commissioners regularly see you, visit with you, and attend to matters that directly impact you.
I’m running for what we value as a community: for this place and for our community.
Peaks and valleys, rivers and lakes, meadows and sagebrush flats—acre per acre, Teton County may be the most beautiful place on the planet. This is our place.
As well as beauty, we have people—our community, and “It is good people who make good places.”—Anna Sewell, Black Beauty.
Good government cares for both. With limited tools, we house our most valued workers, protect our natural capital, maintain a fair and rational business environment, preserve community character, and manage the impacts of our visitors. We’ve done well. But the job isn’t getting easier.
