The Jackson Town Council on Nov. 3 approved a winter pilot for the Millward Simpson parking garage that sets a non-local rate of $5 per hour (up to $20 overnight) and a locals discount program limited to 100 verified town residents at $4 per night, valid Nov. 1, 2025–April 16, 2026.

The program was adopted as a pilot after a staff presentation that reviewed March 2025 utilization counts and several pricing scenarios. Charlotte Fry, transportation manager for Teton County and the Town of Jackson, told the council, “The purpose of this item is for council to consider potential options for setting fees at the parking garage for this winter,” and summarized staff’s analysis showing near‑100% overnight occupancy and evidence of extended vehicle storage.

Why it matters: downtown parking affects residents, employees, visitors and the fledgling airport shuttle service. Fry said the data showed many vehicles stayed in the garage two nights in a row and that roughly one‑third of unassigned covered spaces bore Wyoming plates during the March sample. Councilors and public commenters said the garage’s current management approach created unintended burdens on nearby residents — especially those in newer higher‑density housing with limited on‑site parking — while others urged that fees be set high enough to deter commercial uses such as hotels and rental fleets.

Public comment pushed for lower cost options or more study. John Dyer, a resident of Jackson Street Apartments, said, “I’d love to see an option where locals don’t have to pay to park there.” Eric Doyle, another resident, said a four‑day study in March that coincided with a special event was not a representative sample and asked the council to use the pilot period to gather better data. Annette Covert, an online commenter whose remarks were read into the record, said she is “on disability and can’t afford additional cost to park in the garage. $360 per month is out of budget.”

Council debate centered on policy priorities and how to balance competing uses. Some councilors favored a permit program with assigned spaces; others favored a quicker local discount that could be implemented before winter. Several councilors said they wanted to discourage commercial or hotel use by setting a higher general rate while giving a substantial discount to verified locals. Councilor Sperry argued against a very low locals price, noting a near‑seasonal total at $6 per night could amount to “about $900 for the season.” Councilor Schechter and others stressed the need to collect data during the pilot before making longer‑term changes.

Motion and implementation: Councilor Beeman moved and Councilor Regan seconded a staff‑drafted motion directing staff to implement two programs for midnight–4 a.m. garage use: (1) a non‑local program charging $5 per hour up to a $20 overnight maximum and (2) a locals discount program limited to 100 residents who can demonstrate residency in the town of Jackson, billed at $4 per night. Staff said verification could use leases or utility bills and that codes would be issued electronically; gates will remain open until staff can issue discount codes and signage is updated. The motion passed unanimously.

What staff will measure: Fry said staff will track utilization, turnover, citations and the ability to distinguish discount code users so the council can evaluate the pilot. She said the town’s performance metrics include counts of overstays, municipal court tickets, and usage patterns and that the new access control system (vendor: Skidata) will provide better data once live.

Context and next steps: Council framed the action as a pilot to run through April 16 and to provide information for decisions next year. The council asked staff to return with implementation details (verification process, signage, exact start date) and to analyze the pilot’s results before considering a permit program or additional rate adjustments to discourage commercial use.