JFAC budget briefing: nearly $700 million structural balance, governor proposes $5.65 billion in general‑fund appropriations for FY2026

Keith Bybee, division manager for budget policy analysis at the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee that Idaho’s revenue and expenditure outlook gives the legislature choices about tax relief, program increases and savings.

"There is a structural balance of almost $700,000,000 with the current revenue forecast," Bybee said during his presentation on the FY2025 and FY2026 budget overview.

The committee was presented with the governor’s recommended baseline for FY2026: general‑fund revenue of about $5.9 billion, revised total revenue available of $6.36 billion after law changes and transfers the governor proposes, and a governor’s recommended general‑fund maintenance budget of roughly $5.4 billion. On top of maintenance, the governor’s proposed enhancements total about $242 million, bringing recommended total general‑fund appropriations to about $5.65 billion and leaving a projected FY2026 ending cash balance of roughly $227 million under the governor’s package.

Why it matters: Bybee explained the numbers reflect a post‑pandemic era in which Idaho’s new baseline revenue is higher than historical pre‑COVID…