JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

The community scored a small victory Tuesday when Teton County commissioners stood firm and thwarted a plan to cede control over lodging tax revenues to the lodging and resort industry.

Commissioners Andy Schwartz, Hank Phibbs and Ben Ellis, as well as Town Councilors Greg Miles and Melissa Turley, deserve praise for maintaining maximum flexibility for the makeup of the board that will oversee the newly reinstated tax.

“Our responsibility is not to the lodging industry or the ski community but to the people who passed it,” Schwartz said, according to the News&Guide.

Mayor Mark Barron had pushed a proposal that he said “stacks the deck,” requiring four of the seven members of the tax board to come from the lodging and resort industry. He also called for designating a seat for someone from an arts or cultural entity.

Now, elected officials will have a freer hand in selecting board members.

The 2 percent tax on hotel rooms, passed by voters in November after a 16-year hiatus, is expected to generate about $3.5 million annually. The board will control how roughly $2.1 million is spent on travel and tourism promotion, with the rest going to local government and visitor services.

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Posted under County Government, Economy, Politics, Town Government

Tags: ben ellis, conservation, development, mark barron, tourists, travel

In a stunning reversal, the Jackson Town Council voted 3-2 yesterday against a proposed ordinance that would have prohibited unnecessary idling of vehicles.

Mayor Mark Barron and councilors Mark Obringer and Bob Lenz killed the measure, after little to no discussion. Greg Miles and Melissa Turley voted in favor. The move comes after the council voted unanimously in March to draft an ordinance, amid overwhelming public comment in support.

Instead, the council opted yesterday to pursue a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing idling. The town will do so without the greatest educational tool, the ordinance itself, which would have provided a warning for first offense and subsequent fine.

Most discouraging was the lack of discussion. Barron, Obringer and Lenz gave no reasons for their decision, as clearly the matter had been decided in private. Consideration of the idle-free measure had been postponed at least two or three times, and few proponents were able to attend yesterday.

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Posted under Environment, Politics, Town Government

Tags: conservation, mark barron, willie neal

The Rotary Wine Fest takes some of the sting out of Cold Wet Days. Once a year the Rotarians let down their hair to raise money for scholarships, and Snow King Center was a hive Friday of furious socializing over carefully measured tastes of wine.

Oenophiles were abuzz not just over the vast selection of syrah and chardonnay but the last-minute frenzy of candidates registering to run for office. Within minutes the excited chatter turned from Leslie Petersen‘s campaign for governor to Colin Simpson‘s appearance at the rink to the real bombshell of the day: Franz Camenzind running for mayor.

The hirsute, ponytailed leader of the Alliance stepped down last year to make more time for hiking and wildlife watching, and kept his next move close to the vest.

Mayor Mark Barron faces his most serious challenge yet as he seeks a fifth term at the helm of town. Franz is a warrior who in his many years on the front line of every conservation battle commanded respect even from his foes.

Both men will have to answer tough questions during a campaign that likely will pit business interests against preservation. Where Barron will face criticism from older residents over the changing face of town, Camenzind will face skepticism from young people who worry whether they will have a future in Jackson.

The day’s developments unfolded against the backdrop of BP’s failure to plug the gushing oil geyser in the Gulf of Mexico, lying about its chance for success, and using hundreds of workers as props for the president’s visit to the coast, only to truck them out once the cameras were gone.

The pressure had been building in the riser of my head. It was time for a blowout, and as I turned toward the middle of the rink, I spied a target: Colin Simpson, Republican candidate to be the next governor of Wyoming.

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Posted under Democratic Party, Environment, Politics, Republican Party, Town Government, Wyoming

Tags: conservation, john barrasso, mark barron, new orleans, oil and gas

Willie Neal would have been proud.

The Jackson Town Council voted unanimously today to move forward with an idle-free ordinance championed by the late nordic skiing standout.

After listening to impassioned public comment, councilors instructed staff to prepare a draft ordinance, which will face three readings before becoming law. At least 12 citizens spoke in favor, with no objections.

Details still must be worked out, but the ordinance generally would require motorists to shut off their vehicles when parked on public streets and parking lots. The measure would be accompanied by an educational and public outreach campaign. First offenders likely would get a warning.

The move would help reduce pollution and waste of fuel while improving air quality and public health, supporters said.

All five councilors agreed.

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Posted under Crime, Environment, Politics, Town Government

Tags: conservation, mark barron, willie neal

There are many good reasons not to leave your car idling: save gas, reduce pollution, save money, reduce engine wear, fight terrorism, improve public health. Also, the vehicle will warm up faster if you drive it.

But people still idle, anyway, mostly because we live in a cold climate and it sucks to be freezing all the time.

At what point does the right to waste fuel and money interfere with the public’s right to clean air?

That’s bound to be the crux of the discussion Monday when the Town Council takes up the concept of an “idle-free” Jackson. Beginning at 3 p.m., councilors will consider a proposal to prohibit idling on public streets and parking lots.

A group of citizens has come together on this issue to honor the memory of Willie Neal, the all-world teenager hit and killed by a car last summer. Making Jackson an idle-free community was Willie’s signature issue.

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Posted under Crime, Environment, Politics, Town Government

Tags: conservation, mark barron, willie neal