Public Utilities Commission asks for small commissioner pay increase and replacement truck for pipeline safety

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission presented its FY2026 budget to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee and described operations funded by fees assessed on regulated utilities, ongoing personnel needs and a one-time dedicated-fund package that includes a pipeline safety truck and IT replacements.

Analyst Kellen McGurkin explained the commission’s statutory authorities (Titles 61 and 62, Idaho Code), staffing levels and fund structure. He said the agency has 48 full-time positions including three commissioners and that its dedicated fund is supported by assessments on regulated utilities and railroads. The commission aims to maintain an ending balance near 60% of total appropriation to cover timing differences in semiannual assessments.

McGurkin noted the PUC’s five-year pattern of spending around 81% of total appropriations and explained that differences between appropriation and expenditures often relate to higher authorized amounts in dedicated and federal funds than actual revenues received. The FY2026 governor recommendation included a 5% salary increase for commissioners; McGurkin explained commissioner salaries are set in statute (section 61-215, Idaho Code) and a statutory change would be required to alter pay. He said the governor-recommended total for the increase is $23,100 (the amount may vary at committee discretion).

The commission’s one-time dedicated-fund request totaled $114,100, including $40,500 to replace a pipeline safety truck, $23,700 to replace 14 laptops and one desktop, $40,000 for five network switches, and smaller amounts for document-management licenses and wireless access points as recommended by ITS. McGurkin said the PUC uses no general fund and that deputy attorneys general assigned to the commission are reimbursed via statewide cost allocation and are not counted in PUC’s FTP total.

Commission President Eric Anderson, who noted his prior service in the Idaho House, introduced executive staff and stood for questions. Committee members asked about document management, historical records and staffing for filings; Anderson said the commission maintains a secure records room with historical files dating to 1913 and has four administrative staff dedicated to document management. He also described the PUC’s regular participation in regional utility planning forums and noted the commission’s role in reviewing large transmission and market-structure changes that can affect utilities’ long-term credit ratings and ratepayer outcomes.

No formal changes were adopted at the hearing. The commission staff offered to provide additional information to legislators on specific record-retention or document-management questions.