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Military division seeks supplemental funding for vehicle backlog, public safety communications and hazmat equipment
Summary
Major General Tim Donilon and the Idaho Military Division described supplemental requests to clear a vehicle installation backlog, modernize public safety communications infrastructure, and replace 20‑year‑old hazmat equipment; the governor recommended the requests in his budget.
The Joint Finance Appropriations Committee heard the Idaho Military Division present supplemental and FY2026 budget requests intended to clear a vehicle backlog, modernize public safety communications infrastructure, and replace aging hazardous materials response equipment.
Frances Lippett, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, summarized the division’s federal/state responsibilities and noted the division is authorized about 429.8 full‑time equivalent positions across programs including Federal‑State Agreements (the largest), the Office of Emergency Management and military management. Lippett also flagged a $34,200 deficiency warrant request for hazardous substance response costs that the division could not recoup from incident originators.
Major General Tim Donilon, the Adjutant General and commander of the Idaho National Guard, told the committee the vehicle backlog stems from supply chain issues and a recent influx of vehicles after manufacturers again delivered models with necessary computer chips. He said the backlog and vehicle fit‑outs left some law enforcement fleets idle and that the division proposes two steps: hire a contractor to clear the backlog and expand installation bay capacity to prevent future backlogs. Donilon said the division believes it can execute the supplemental within the current fiscal year.
On public safety communications, Lippett and Donilon described a governor‑recommended supplemental to fund completion of communications equipment installations on 40 Dodge Durangos owned by the Idaho State Police (ISP), pay for four additional installation bays and related construction work (private contract estimated at $240,000 plus $300,000 construction), and $759,200 for IT infrastructure and licensing to establish a public‑safety communications network separate from the state ITS network for improved security.
Donilon explained the communications work has two components: updating server and hardware (
