Jackson town councilors and Teton County commissioners are weighing a START bus budget ask thatâs a million dollars higher than the current fiscal yearâs budget.
The two bodies met jointly last week as budget discussions began in earnest. On Wednesday, the council and commissioners discussed budgets of joint town-county departments, START included among them.
START Director Darren Brugmann, who has submitted his resignation and will leave START this summer after helping with the transition to a new director, and START Board Chair Jared Smith presented the proposed budget to the council at $11,550,628. Thatâs nearly $1.5 million above the projected $10,088,520 for Fiscal Year 2021, which wraps up at the end of June.
START Bus Director Darren Brugmann has resigned his position after spending nearly six years in the role in Jackson Hole.
No reason was given for Brugmannâs resignation, submitted Monday, and Brugmann was not able to be reached by press time Thursday. Brugmann plans to remain with START until sometime during the summer in order to help with the transition to a new director, according to a press release from Carl Pelletier, Jacksonâs public information officer.
The resignation comes amid difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year â including driver turnover and decreased passenger capacity â and discussions between the Jackson Town Council and Teton County Board of County Commissioners regarding how START should be funded.
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START is working with law enforcement to do random checks on buses to make sure passengers are wearing masks.
Cops will give verbal warnings and assist bus drivers in removing riders who do not comply with what is now a federal mandate to wear face coverings on all transit buses, START Director Darren Brugmann said at Friday afternoonâs town and county COVID-19 briefing.
âWe consider this trespassing if you do not wear the face mask on our bus, and will be asked to leave our buses,â Brugmann said.
From a health perspective, mask wearing is especially important on commuter routes because trips are longer, he said.
After an experiment, START officials say the best way to move air through buses is by closing side windows and opening the driver’s window and a hatch in the rear.