The Jackson Town Council voted Oct. 1 to send a joint letter to Wyoming’s federal delegation expressing concern about the potential effects of the federal government shutdown on public lands, staffing and the local fall tourism season.

Council members approved the letter at a special meeting after roughly an hour of public comment and deliberation, voting 2-1 with Councilor Schechter voting no. The approval was “subject to minor changes by Scott,” according to the motion as recorded in the meeting.

The letter originated from discussions among community partners, including the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and the Travel and Tourism Board, and was circulated to council members the day before the meeting. Rick Howe, president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, told the council the letter grew from multiple conversations and concern that the community was “probably heading in this direction.”

Council debate focused on two separate questions: whether to issue a timely, broadly worded statement now and whether the letter’s language was specific enough about which federal agencies and which public lands the town sought to protect. Councilors and staff proposed edits during the meeting to add October alongside September when mentioning shoulder-season visitation, explicitly name the National Elk Refuge and the Fish and Wildlife Service, and replace references to “national parks” with the broader term “public lands.”

Councilor Espirit urged the council to recognize changing visitation patterns, saying, “October, over the last 5 years, has been the fastest growing non summer month for visitation.” Other members pressed for stronger language on ecological impacts and staffing. Meeting participants also referenced media reporting on agency staffing proposals: the Department of Agriculture’s reported 49% agency-wide furlough proposal and an estimated 55% Department of the Interior furlough figure, which council members cited as reasons to emphasize staffing concerns in the letter.

Councilor Schechter repeatedly criticized the draft’s tone and specificity and said he was not prepared to approve the version on the table. “I hate to vote on things that I don’t understand,” he said during the discussion, and later stated he would not support the motion. Councilor Speary defended approving the edited letter promptly, saying the community should “make a statement today” and that a broadly worded letter could be followed by a more detailed communication later.

After town edits were proposed and discussed on the record — including insertion of the National Elk Refuge, naming the Fish and Wildlife Service, and adding language to emphasize that the area’s “remarkable environment” is the foundation of the visitor experience and local economy — a motion to approve the letter as discussed passed by recorded voice vote, 2-1. The council directed staff to transmit the letter to the county commission for consideration at its immediately following meeting.

The council and meeting participants specified that additional, more nuanced statements addressing ecological consequences and more detailed requests to federal agencies could be developed and brought back to the council at a subsequent meeting.

The action closes the special meeting; councilors then adjourned.