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Idaho Parks and Recreation seeks program consolidation, seasonal pay increases and major capital work
Summary
Department officials told the Joint Finance Committee they plan to merge management and operations programs, raise seasonal pay from $12 to $15 an hour, seek targeted ranger pay adjustments, and continue large capital projects including replacements at Heyburn State Park and requests for Bear Lake and Lake Cascade.
The Joint Finance Committee heard from Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, and Susan Buxton, director of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, on the department's fiscal 2026 budget request and program changes.
Jessup told the committee the department is allocated 190.8 full-time positions (FTP) and administers Idaho's 30 state parks and trail systems. She emphasized that much of the department's budget is held in dedicated funds—registration fees, permit revenues and other user fees—that statute prescribes for specific purposes and can limit how and when money is spent.
Why it matters: Parks funding and staffing affect access, safety and maintenance across widely dispersed facilities. The department's requests touch operations (seasonal pay and ranger compensation), program accounting (consolidation of management and operations) and large capital projects that would alter park infrastructure and visitor access.
Jessup and Buxton outlined several of the agency's fiscal and operational priorities. Jessup said capital outlays comprised about 41% of the department's fiscal 2024 expenditures and that…
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