The hole that looms to be filled in the Idaho State Police budget is actually larger than some may think, a legislative panel heard this morning. The fiscal year 2010 budget gives the ISP $15.7 million from the state highway fund, which largely comes from gas taxes; that will go away on July 1, 2010. But Rep.  Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, noted, "We've gone down with both the parks and ISP budget the last two or three years. ... Are we going to deal with what they've lost, or are we going to deal with what's currently there today?" If the current gas tax funds are replaced for both agencies, he said, there's "still a shortfall." Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, responded, "An excellent question ... I don't know the answer to it. ... The language in the resolution calls for us to replace the funds that were there, so that's our first priority."

Legislative budget analyst Dick Burns told the task force that the highway fund money available to ISP has fallen significantly short, prompting the Legislature to make up part of the shortfall from an ISP personnel fund and part from state general funds. "The revenues will not be there to support that," Burns told the panel. In fiscal year 2009, he said, "We supplied over $3 million in general fund money to purchase cars and so forth. ... To do it right may require in the area of $20 million to $21 million." Cameron commented, "We see a little bit of the depths of the problem."

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