Idaho Independent Living Council asks committee to shift $11,700 from dedicated to general fund to cover statewide benefit costs

The State Independent Living Council told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15 that it typically spends nearly all of the federal and state-dedicated revenue it receives and is asking lawmakers to approve a modest reclassification of $11,700 in appropriation from its dedicated fund to the general fund for fiscal year 2026.

Kellen McGurkin, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, described the council’s funding and staffing profile and explained the requested change. He said the council has four full-time positions – including director Mel Levitan – and that the dedicated fund primarily comes from federal independent living grants passed through the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. McGurkin told the panel that revenue timing from federal grants can make a single fiscal year look like expenditures exceed receipts even when…