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ITD Asks for Aviation Grant Authority and $10M Governor’s Initiative for Airport Grants, Citing Aircraft Repairs and Community Grants
Summary
ITD described how aviation fuel taxes and interest support airport grants and equipment needs, asked for $10 million in spending authority for a governor initiative, and said roughly $4 million in interest and remaining aviation fuel tax receipts are available for community grants and aircraft repairs.
The committee heard from Idaho Transportation Department staff about aeronautics funding sources, grants to community airports and a governor’s $10 million initiative to fund grants and equipment.
During the transportation services division presentation, LSO analyst Brooke Dupree described the State Aeronautics Fund, which includes revenue from aviation fuel taxes, jet fuel tax, and fees for the state‑owned fleet. Director Scott Stokes answered a committee question on fuel tax rates: "it's 6¢ and 7¢. I think the 6 is, jet fuel, 7¢ is avgas, but I might have those reversed," and separately stated diesel is 32¢ (all figures quoted from testimony). The committee asked the department to confirm official tax code citations after the hearing.
Stokes and other ITD staff described the governor’s initiative request: Dupree said the governor recommends language and a $10,000,000 package for grants and equipment; Stokes said roughly $4,000,000 comes from interest earned on the Strategic Initiative Aeronautics Fund and additional amounts are remaining aviation fuel tax receipts (Dupree referenced a remaining receipts figure in testimony). The department told lawmakers it intends to use grant authority to fund community airport projects prioritized by local sponsors and to help medium‑sized airports meet federal matching requirements.
The director also discussed equipment needs: ITD operates at least one aircraft that will require expensive engine replacements in the next three years—"engine replacement, in the next 3 years...about 800,000 apiece," Stokes said—so part of the request covers repair or replacement of state aircraft and maintenance facilities. The department said the grants would be operated like existing airport grant programs, with ITD reporting completion to the Legislature.
Lawmakers asked for performance metrics and return‑on‑investment detail for the governor’s initiative; the department said community grants would follow the same reporting model used for other airport grants and that they would report delivery and completion details once awarded. The committee did not act on the governor’s initiative during the hearing and asked the department for clearer accounting of fuel tax receipts and interest balances.
