JFAC staff outline new streamlined budget hearing materials, SharePoint access and fund analyses

Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, gave the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee an overview of the committee’s restructured budget hearing materials and the new SharePoint filing system on Jan. 7.

What changed: Jessup said the committee shortened in‑room presentations from roughly three hours to about 90 minutes per day and refocused sessions on maintenance, current‑year enhancements and the details that will require committee action. To support that change, LSO prepared a standardized slide package and reorganized documents in SharePoint: the sequence provides legislative budget book pages, LSO budget slides, agency slides and hearing follow‑up materials in a single, searchable location.

Key slides and tools: Jessup highlighted several recurring slides members will see for every agency: an organizational chart and FTP (full‑time personnel) count with five‑year vacancy and fill‑rate context; a consolidated fund analysis that shows beginning and ending balances for dedicated funds; a five‑year appropriation and expenditure trend chart; a pie chart of fiscal‑year‑2024 expenditures by account category (personnel costs, operating expenditures, trustee & benefit payments, capital); and a 5‑year enhancement snapshot that separates ongoing and one‑time changes.

Account categories and transfers: Jessup reminded members that Idaho code defines major account categories (personnel costs, trustee & benefit payments, operating expenditures, capital outlay) and that transfers between categories are governed by statute unless an agency requests and receives an exemption. Co‑chairs said the new slides include additional vacancy and personnel‑cost context so members can see average fill percentages and trends before asking agencies questions.

Searchable materials: Jessup showed how SharePoint is organized and recommended sorting by page number or modification date to find the most recent documents; she said the LBB pages now include an “Audits” tab with hot links to audit summaries and supporting reports. The co‑chairs stressed that the reorganization aims to make follow‑up and workgroup review more efficient and transparent to the public.

CEC and CEC timing note: Jessup noted last year’s budgeting approach placed a portion of the compensation‑adjustment (CEC) as an enhancement item in one cycle; the committee said the timing will differ this year and members should expect the CEC decision shortly, with the results feeding into the maintenance budgets.

Ending: Committee co‑chairs thanked staff for the work. Members were reminded to attend the condensed daily hearings and to coordinate with staff when they must step out for other committee business.