JFAC votes to allocate funds for firefighting costs, 27th payroll, aquifer recharge, sage grouse defense
JFAC has moved on to other year-end budget items, with today likely its last meeting. A proposal from Senate Finance Vice-Chair Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, to allocate $27 million for firefighting costs in next year’s budget passed on a 16-2 vote. Typically, lawmakers would wait until next year to address that, but this accounts for it in the budget in advance. “We work with our federal partners on fighting these fires, they’re increasingly hotter and more catastrophic,” Keough said. “We are responsible for these costs.”
The only opposition came from Boise Democrats John Gannon and Phylis King. Gannon said his concern was that he thought endowment funds should be tapped for the portion that involved fires on endowment lands, rather than the state general fund; he estimated that accounts for about $2 million of the cost.
JFAC also voted, after lots of questions, to support House Appropriations Vice-Chair Rep. Marc Gibbs’ proposal to transfer another $500,000 from the general fund to the Idaho Water Resources Board for aquifer recharge costs next year. That motion passed on a divided, 12-8 vote, with six Republicans and two Democrats objecting.
Gibbs, R-Grace, also proposed a transfer of $1.05 million in the current year for sage grouse legal defense. Gibbs said decisions are expected on whether the sage grouse will be listed as endangered, before lawmakers convene against next year. The money would be a reserve for potential litigation so the state could challenge a listing, including through a Multi-State Sage Grouse Coordinating Committee that would do a regional economic impact study and hire private attorneys and outside experts. “Utah and Wyoming already have their million dollars set up in this defense fund, and it’s a commitment to set this up,” Gibbs said. Nevada is in the process of considering a similar allocation.
“The value of our endowment lands will be greatly diminished if we do indeed see a listing,” Gibbs said. The proposal passed on a 17-2 vote, with King and Gannon dissenting.
JFAC also voted to transfer $20 million next year to the economic recovery reserve fund to hold in reserve for the expenses of the 27th payroll period that will occur in fiscal year 2017, a quirk of the calendar that comes up every 11 years. Those transfers will be made in four payments over the course of the 2016 fiscal year.
JFAC also voted to transfer $25 million to the budget stabilization fund during the next budget year, the state’s main rainy-day account. That’s essentially a deposit against a transfer that otherwise would automatically happen at the end of the budget year, which, depending on revenues, likely would be about $30 million.
