Joint Finance reviews Department of Administration budget, flags governor housing fund depletion

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Feb. 17 reviewed the Department of Administration’s fiscal 2026 budget and heard that the Governor’s Housing Fund will be exhausted unless the Legislature provides additional general‑fund support.

Legislative budget analyst Frances Lippett told the committee the governor’s housing allowance is currently set at $4,551 per month and that the fund “has no consistent source of revenue.” Lippett said the department had requested a $30,000 general‑fund appropriation for fiscal 2025 that the Legislature did not provide and is now requesting funds for fiscal 2026.

The matter matters because, according to Lippett’s presentation, “without an appropriation, the fund will be fully depleted by August 2026.” Committee members pressed the department for the statutory history of the program and for a written report from the Governor’s Housing Committee on prior actions and intentions.

Director Steve Bailey told the committee the Governor’s Housing Committee meets annually and that, in the most recent meeting, members discussed the possibility of revisiting construction of a governor’s residence but had not taken steps to build a mansion. Bailey said there remains state‑owned land that had been set aside for a mansion and that the parcel is currently in a revocable easement with the City of Boise. “At this point… the position of the committee was just continue with the stipend until more substantive discussions could take place,” Bailey said.

Committee members asked for clarification about the amount the department is now requesting from the general fund. Lippett’s slides said the department requested $60,600 for fiscal year 2026; subsequently, during the presentation, a larger figure ($660,600) also appeared in the transcript. The transcript records the discrepancy; the committee requested a written clarification and a history of statutory intent and prior committee reports.

Lippett provided additional budget context about the Department of Administration: roughly two‑thirds of the department’s appropriation is funded by the administration and accounting services fund (payments from agencies for services), about 10% of the department’s appropriation is from the general fund, and the department oversees the Capitol Mall, Chinden Campus and other state‑owned buildings. She said the department is currently authorized 34 full‑time equivalent positions and has filled about 92% of its authorization over the last five years.

On personnel and operations, Lippett noted the department’s five budgeted programs (public works, document services, purchasing, insurance/risk, and management services), and said the department’s operating expenditures are heavily weighted toward public works (maintenance and repair of state buildings). Bailey said the department supports the Governor’s Housing Committee and historically managed the residence when the state owned a mansion or other governor housing.

The committee asked the department to provide the committee with: (1) the full history and written reports of the Governor’s Housing Committee, (2) statutory citations and the committee’s interpretation of statutory intent, and (3) a corrected, itemized figure for the fiscal 2026 appropriation being requested for the governor’s housing stipend.

The department did not request a final decision from the committee at the hearing; members directed staff to supply the requested documentation before formal budget action.