Idaho Parks and Recreation seeks program consolidation, higher seasonal pay and funding for deferred maintenance and marina repairs

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation told the Joint Finance Committee that it plans to consolidate two internal programs, raise seasonal wages and use dedicated funds for targeted pay adjustments and capital projects.

Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, summarized the agency's budget and fund structure and noted a large 2023 appropriation that supported deferred-maintenance projects. Director Susan Buxton described the program-consolidation request as administrative and said the department is pursuing pay adjustments to address internal pay compression and to make seasonal jobs more competitive.

The department asked the Legislature to merge its management services program with park operations into a single budgeted program. “It really is a ministerial request,” Director Susan Buxton said, describing the consolidation as intended to simplify tracking revenues and expenditures without removing programmatic detail.

Why it matters: Parks operations depend heavily on seasonal staff and on targeted, often one‑time capital funds for repairs. Committee members pressed agency officials for details about how the department will use its dedicated funds and how the proposed pay changes will affect hiring.

Key budget items and staffing: The agency proposed raising seasonal employee pay from $12 to $15 per hour and requested targeted increases for ranger and supervisory positions to address compression between long‑tenured employees and newer hires. Buxton said that nearly all of the department’s dedicated funds are being used for program needs, and that many past appropriations (notably a large 2023 appropriation) funded multi‑year maintenance projects. “When the CECs come in, we still have step differences for them,” Buxton said, explaining the department’s approach to preserving pay differentials as state pay schedules change.

Buxton and the department’s human resources officer, Jennifer Quindell Miller, told the committee that recruiting and retaining seasonal workers has grown more difficult in parts of the state, with competition pushing market wages above $15 an hour in some resort or high‑cost communities. Buxton said the department annually hires about 300 seasonal employees and engages more than 500 volunteers to operate parks.

Equipment and program notes: The department’s request also included replacement equipment and capital projects. Troy Elmore, operations administrator, explained that a compact wheel loader proposed in the budget would be purchased using the snowmobile sticker fund and would support snowmobile grooming programs and parking‑lot clearing in high‑snow areas. Elmore said about 27 county snowmobile programs exist across the state and that this would be the third such piece of equipment purchased for those operations.

Heyburn marinas: Buxton described a deferred‑maintenance project at Heyburn State Park on Lake Coeur d’Alene to replace two aging marinas. She said federal funds and a pledge from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe (the tribe previously funded design work) are supporting the marina replacements. Buxton told the committee the two marinas — identified in the presentation as Rocky Point and Chocolat — together exceed roughly 150 slips and that replacement work would add several additional slips.

Deferred maintenance and capital outlook: Jessup’s presentation emphasized that many department funds are restricted by statute to specific uses (for example, by type of permit revenue), and that large appropriations for deferred maintenance may take multiple fiscal years to spend. The governor’s recommended budget included the parks’ requested capital projects, including funding for Bear Lake (Fish Haven improvements) and Lake Cascade, with no recommended changes to the agency’s enhancement requests.

What was not decided: Committee members requested more detail on the status of deferred‑maintenance projects, and Buxton agreed to provide the committee the department’s project list showing what has been expended and what remains in progress. There were no formal committee votes on these items during the hearing.

Ending: Agency staff said they will follow up with the committee on the deferred‑maintenance project list and with additional detail about how seasonal pay adjustments will be phased and implemented.