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A van in front of the Tetons

FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS SPET?

What does SPET mean?

SPET stands for Specific Purpose Excise Tax, meaning a sales (excise) tax that voters designate to specific projects. Currently, it’s the “6th cent” of our 6% (6 cents per dollar spent) sales tax - remarkably low for a resort community like ours. In Teton County, we have used SPET to pay for important community priorities for decades, including a number of community housing projects. 

 

Do I have to choose between SPET measures?

Good news: SPET measures don’t compete with each other, so you can vote for as many as you like. On election day, the county clerk will tally up the votes and see how many measures got >50% support. Then, the county treasurer will add up how much it will cost to pay for all those measures. Then, over the next few years, local sales tax revenue will pay for all those measures, until they’re paid off - at which point, we’ll be able to vote on a new list. Bottom line: the more measures that pass, the longer time until the next SPET ballot vote.

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Are there other ways to raise public funds for housing?

As of now, sales tax is pretty much our only option for raising money to build homes for locals. Many of us also support more revenue options, but we need the state legislature in Cheyenne to change the laws to allow them. In addition, in Wyoming, there’s no sales tax on groceries, which helps make the sales tax more progressive than it would be otherwise. 

HOW DO I VOTE?

How do I vote?

Learn all about voting in Teton County at the County Clerk’s Elections website! You can vote “absentee” (early / by mail) from September 23 through November 7. Or you can vote at any of five polling places on election day. You can register to vote ahead of time OR right when you vote. It’s easy!

 

How do I vote for the Community Housing SPET?

The Community Housing SPET measure will be on the back of your ballot. It’s SPET measure #12. Please fill in the “FOR the Proposition” bubble!

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WHAT'S ON MY BALLOT?

What does that long paragraph on my ballot actually mean? 

Let’s break it down!

 

"$20,000,000 to preserve and create permanent Affordable and Workforce homes for local workers and their families..."

“Affordable” homes mean they are price-limited to different income levels. Workforce homes are restricted to local workers, without price or income limits. In the past five years, about ⅕ of the homes built through Town and County public-private partnerships have been “Workforce,” and about ⅘ have been “Affordable” at various levels.

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"This may be accomplished through the purchase of deed restrictions and/or interests in land on which to design, plan, develop, engineer, and construct deed restricted housing in conformance with the Jackson & Teton County Housing Supply Plan"

These funds will be flexible, so that our community can jump on opportunities like land coming on the market or a foundation wanting to launch a public-private partnership (like the Jackson Street Apartments with the Cumming Foundation). The Housing Supply Plan outlines the need across income levels and between ownership and rental opportunities, and gives high-level direction for what kind of projects the Town and County will pursue.


"The Jackson Town Council and the Teton County Board of County Commissioners must authorize and direct the expenditure of these funds"

In order to make sure that these public funds go through public vetting, both groups of local elected representatives have to approve every project. This means that community members get to weigh in about the projects’ locations, designs, and who they serve. Make sure you stay in the loop and show up to support new housing development!

WHO CAN LIVE HERE?

What does Community Housing mean?

Community Housing means homes for the people who make up the character of our community. If the people who work here can’t afford to live here, we lose our middle class. These investments will help provide homes for sale or rental that our community’s teachers, police, nurses, firefighters, and small business owners and workers can afford to live in.

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Would these new homes be affordable to me and my friends? 

While we don’t know your situation or have a crystal ball, we can say almost definitely yes - assuming you and your friends are local workers! This measure will fund a range of rental and ownership options for locals working in our community, so there will likely be something for you. 

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“Affordable” homes mean they are price-limited to different income levels. Workforce homes are restricted to local workers, without price or income limits. In the past five years, about ⅕ of the homes built through Town and County public-private partnerships have been “Workforce,” and about ⅘ have been “Affordable” at various levels.

GOT ANY EXAMPLES?

What are some examples of projects this would fund?

Here are a few recent examples of projects built or under construction with similar funding and similar public-private partnerships that this new funding would support:

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  1. Jackson Street Apartments: 57 homes, 84% Affordable Rentals and 16% Workforce Rentals. 

  2. Mercill Avenue Condos: 30 Workforce ownership homes (twenty 2br and ten 1br)

  3. 174 N. King Street Condominiums: 24 Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust Affordable homes (18 one-bedroom, 2 two-bedroom, 4 three-bedroom)

HOW CAN I HELP?

I like it! How can I help?

  • First, make sure you vote for the Community Housing SPET measure #12!

  • Second, ask 3 friends to commit to vote for it too!

  • Third, please support our campaign with a contribution so we can spread the word to more voters!

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