Administration asks for general-fund support as governor's housing fund nears depletion

The Department of Administration told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Presidents Day that the governor's housing fund will be exhausted by August 2026 unless the Legislature provides new general-fund support.

Frances Lippett, a budget and policy analyst with legislative services, said the governor's housing committee — a five-member body authorized in statute to oversee the residence fund — has recommended restoring the fund's balance. Lippett said the fund currently pays a monthly housing stipend set at $4,551. She told the committee the fund "has no consistent source of revenue." Representative Petzke pressed Department of Administration director Steve Bailey on whether the state has a long‑range plan to build or re-establish a governor's residence; Bailey said the committee has discussed revisiting a governor's mansion but "we haven't really gained any traction on those discussions" and that the committee had continued a stipend in the meantime.

Lippett told members the department previously requested $30,000 from the general fund for FY2025 and was not funded; she said the department's presentation separately cited both a $60,600 request and a $660,600 figure for FY2026 in different slides. Committee members asked for clarification of the discrepancy. Director Bailey said he would provide the committee a fuller history of the governor's housing program and the statutory record, noting there is property set aside near Horizon Avenue that had been intended for a mansion and currently sits in a revocable easement with the City of Boise.

Committee members asked whether the appropriation would be more appropriately housed in the governor's office budget because the stipend functions as a form of compensation; Bailey said the item has historically been administered through the Department of Administration because the agency supported the governor's housing committee and historically managed the mansion and related services. Members requested a written report tracing the history, statutory intent and recent committee recommendations so the Legislature can decide whether to continue the stipend, fund a capital project, or make another change.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the stipend during the hearing; members directed staff to supply the requested historical material and to clarify the appropriation amounts shown in the department's materials.

The Department of Administration and the governor's housing committee are established in Idaho law; committee members requested the department provide historical documents and the most recent governor's housing committee report for distribution to the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee.

Outlook: The item remains under consideration by the committee. Staff will provide the requested statutory history and a reconciled set of appropriation figures before the committee acts.