State Independent Living Council seeks small appropriation shift as budget review shows steady reserves

The Idaho State Independent Living Council asked the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15 to approve a governor-recommended $11,700 shift of appropriation from the council’s dedicated federal fund to the general fund to help cover statewide personnel costs, Legislative Services Office analyst Kellan McGurkin and council director Mel Levitan told the committee.

The request would reduce the council’s dedicated‑fund appropriation and increase its general‑fund appropriation so the general fund would cover about half of the council’s recent statewide health benefit and change‑in‑employee‑compensation (CEC) increases, McGurkin said. He said the change is essentially an accounting shift so the general fund, rather than the council’s dedicated federal fund, covers those statewide personnel cost increases.

The council was described in testimony as a small, advocacy‑focused agency established in Title 56, Chapter 12, Idaho Code to promote independent living and to provide advocacy, training and analysis related to independent‑living services. McGurkin told the committee the agency has four full‑time positions including Executive Director Mel Levitan and typically spends about 70% of its budget on personnel and about 30% on operating expenses.

McGurkin reviewed the council’s consolidated dedicated‑fund balances and said the agency typically spends nearly all available dedicated fund revenue each year. The council’s dedicated fund receives federal independent‑living grants (described in testimony as Title I of the Rehabilitation Act and Title VII of the Workforce Investment Act) that pass through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and federal grant timing can create year‑to‑year mismatches between state fiscal years and federal grant periods. McGurkin noted the agency’s ending balance generally sits close to $280,000—roughly six and a half months of expenses.

“Sometimes with dedicated funds you’ll see an agency spend more in that year than the revenue it supposedly received in that year,” McGurkin told the committee, explaining that apparent overspend in a chart results from grant‑period timing rather than an ongoing budget shortfall.

Levitan, the council’s executive director, told the committee the council is governed by a majority of volunteers with disabilities representing regions across Idaho. He thanked the committee for approving a $10,000 line‑item increase last year to pay an external auditor; that one‑time funding, he said, supported completion of audits for fiscal years 2022–24 with no findings.

Committee members did not ask additional questions after the presentation. The committee did not take a formal vote during the hearing; the request will be considered during the budget‑setting process.

Why it matters: The council’s dedicated federal funding supports services for Idahoans with disabilities; shifting a small portion of appropriation to the general fund would change which state revenue stream is formally budgeted to cover statewide personnel cost increases, though witnesses said the shift does not change the council’s overall funding level.