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ITD asks JFAC to approve aviation grant and equipment spending; director outlines sources and uses
Summary
ITD requested spending authority for aviation grants and equipment, citing about $4 million in interest earnings for community airport grants and additional aviation fuel tax receipts; Director Scott Stokes laid out equipment needs including expensive aircraft engine overhauls.
The Idaho Transportation Department told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee it seeks authority to spend aviation-related receipts and interest for community airport grants and equipment, including planned engine work on a state airplane.
Scott Stokes, ITD director, described two primary fund sources for a governor’s initiative to support airports: interest generated in a Strategic Initiatives Aeronautics Fund and aviation fuel tax receipts. “There are two primary sources of this revenue… about $4,000,000 that is generated from interest,” Stokes said, adding the remainder of the request would come from aviation fuel tax receipts that have not been previously appropriated.
On fuel-tax rates, the director told the committee the aviation taxes “are 6¢ and 7¢,” noting uncertainty about which exact fuel type corresponds to each rate: “I think the 6 is jet fuel, 7¢ is avgas, but I might have those reversed,” he said on the record.
Stokes outlined likely uses for the governor-proposed spending authority: community airport grants administered like existing airport-aid programs, an airplane in ITD’s fleet that will need expensive engine work (he estimated engine replacements could be in the ~$800,000 range per engine), and repairs to a maintenance facility adjacent to the Boise airport. The department noted it has used interest earnings and one-time transfers in prior years to support airport projects and said grant projects have been community-sponsored and slower to implement.
Why it matters: Community and medium-sized airports rely on state grants and match funding to qualify for federal aid; state support can cover design, construction, equipment and matching requirements. Committee members asked for clearer performance metrics and return-on-investment measures for the governor’s $10 million initiative.
Follow-up: Committee members asked ITD to provide which airports and equipment would be prioritized and to provide performance metrics and implementation timelines for the grant and equipment authority.
