CHEYENNE - A plan to unify the town and county governments in Teton County is again on the table.

The Legislature's Joint Interim Committee on Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivision will resume discussion of a reunification plan on Nov. 18 during a meeting in Cheyenne.

Andy Schwartz, chairman of the Teton County Commissioners, said Thursday that unification makes sense because Jackson is the only municipality in the county and contains roughly half the county's population.

�We really have a close relationship with them,� Schwartz said Thursday in a telephone interview.

The county and city have joint departments for fire protection, parks and recreation and the bus and pathway systems.

He said it is always complicated to offer these services through joint powers agreements.

Yet what happens in the town has an impact on residents of the county and vice versa.

�We have two separate forms of government,� he said. �We could do things more efficiently and more responsibly for the citizens.�

Unification has been done elsewhere, including Georgia, where the city of Athens and Clarke County are governed by a mayor and commission.

Schwartz said it took about 20 years for the Athens-Clarke County consolidation to come about.

He said he understands it would first require a survey of voters to find out if there is support to set up a commission to conduct a study.

Some residents in his county, Schwartz said, probably would not support unification because they think they receive better services with separate governments.

�It's not easy,�Schwartz said. �Realistically, if we got the power to do it, I would guess it would take at least 10 years to put it in place.�

�But that doesn't mean you don't start,� he added.

Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, is co-chairman of the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee. He said there are constitutional issues to be explored.

The Wyoming Constitution mentions both municipalities and counties.

�The problem is what do you do about taxes?� Illoway said.

He said this is about the third time the Legislature has looked at unification to eliminate costly duplication of services within a county.

�We have to see if it's possible, under the constitution, and if there is citizen support,� he said.

Illoway noted it would take two years to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot.

If it is possible, Illoway said he could envision other counties unifying with the municipalities within their borders.

He said Niobrara County, with its low assessed valuation, is one county that might be interested.

Contact capital bureau reporter Joan Barron at (307) 632-1244 or joan.barron@trib.com