Idaho's state Board of Examiners has scheduled an emergency meeting for 2 p.m. today in the governor's office to make an immediate transfer from the general fund to the state refund account, which pays out refunds due from people's tax returns. The reason: That account hit zero yesterday. "It's a bookkeeping exercise," said Wayne Hammon, Gov. Butch Otter's budget director. "When people pay their taxes in April, it'll go back."

It's not than any forecast fell short; the refund account starts each year with $1.5 million in it, and goes up and down as taxes are paid in and refunds out. "It's a matter of timing," Hammon said. "More people have filed refunds than have submitted payments." The move actually isn't unusual; it's happened in two of the last three years; what's different is how sudden it is this time. Last year, the board transferred $20 million from the general fund to the refund account in late March at its regularly scheduled meeting. This year, the fund has had the usual ups and downs; for example, it was at $14.7 million at the end of July, but had risen to $45 million by late September and $83 million at the end of January. That dropped to $10.2 million at the end of February. Hammon said the emergency meeting of the Board of Examiners will ensure there are no delays in sending out taxpayers' income tax refund checks.

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