State Independent Living Council presents budget, supports shift of small appropriation to general fund

Kellan McGurkin, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee on Jan. 15 that the State Independent Living Council operates under Title 56, Chapter 12 of Idaho Code and is staffed with four full-time positions.

McGurkin said the council typically spends nearly all of the revenue it receives for its dedicated fund and maintains an ending balance of roughly $280,000 — about six and a half months of expenses — to protect against interruptions in federal grant timing. "They average about 69% of their appropriated personnel costs being spent on personnel costs," McGurkin said.

The nut graf: the council's budget is small and largely federally supported, and the governor's recommendation would move a modest appropriation between funds to let the general fund cover part of statewide benefit and change-in-employee-compensation (CEC) increases.

McGurkin walked the committee through the consolidated fund analysis, explaining that the council receives federal independent living grants that pass through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and that federal grant periods sometimes mismatch the state fiscal year, which can make revenue and expenditure timing look uneven. He noted a modest increase in Title I funding in fiscal 2023 of about $30,000, the first in roughly a decade.

Mel Levitan, executive director of the Idaho State Independent Living Council, introduced himself and thanked the committee for past support. Levitan said the council is governed by a majority of people with disabilities who serve as volunteers and that the council uses travel and rental expenses to hold trainings across the state because many residents cannot travel to Boise. He thanked staff, including financial specialist Megan Bates, for completing audits for fiscal years 2022–24 with no findings after a $10,000 one-time line item to pay an external auditor.

McGurkin said the governor's recommendation for fiscal 2026 includes $11,700 in appropriation shifted from the council's dedicated fund to the general fund. "This shift in appropriation would decrease the agency's dedicated fund appropriation and increase its general fund appropriation," he said, adding that the change would let the general fund cover about half of statewide health benefit and CEC salary increases that otherwise would be charged to the dedicated fund.

There were no formal motions or votes recorded during the presentation. Committee members thanked Levitan and his staff, and the committee moved on to the next agenda item.

The council has four FTP, consistent personnel filling in recent years, and relies primarily on federal Title I and Title VII funding passed from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The council's request and fiscal detail appear in the Legislative Budget Book at page 20111.