Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Budget Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Department of Finance requests six examiner positions; governor omits two investigator roles
Summary
The Idaho Department of Finance requested six full‑time positions and $816,600 in state regulatory funds for FY2026, largely to add IT and specialty exam capacity; the governor recommended all requests except two investigator positions for the Consumer Finance Bureau.
The Idaho Department of Finance asked the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 21 for six new full‑time positions and $816,600 in ongoing state regulatory funds to strengthen examination and cybersecurity capacity.
The request covers an IT examiner and a financial examiner in the Financial Institutions Bureau; two financial investigator 3 positions focused on IT examinations (one for mortgage and credit services, one for consumer services); a cybersecurity‑focused financial investigator 3 in the Securities Bureau; and a forensic‑accounting financial examiner for the Securities Bureau. The package also included one‑time capital outlay (desks and equipment) and a $52,600 OITS‑recommended hardware purchase for laptops, docking stations and portable field monitors.
The department’s budget analyst, Noah Peterson of the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the six positions are budgeted at 100% of policy for the listed salary grades and that the requests are drawn from the agency’s three dedicated funds. Peterson said the amounts and the line numbers for the requests match the Legislative Budget Book pages provided to the committee.
Patty Perkins, director of the Department of Finance, described increased cybercrime and elder‑targeted fraud as reasons for the requested staffing increases. “There is a huge increase in cybercrime,” Perkins said, noting a particular concern about fraud that targets Idaho’s elderly population. She told the committee the department has partnered with the Idaho State Police and other law‑enforcement agencies "to be able to follow the money" on complex cases that sometimes involve cryptocurrency and cross‑border actors.
Senator Wintrow and Senator Cook questioned whether the department could provide more measurable workload data to justify the new positions. Peterson said tangible cybersecurity cost figures (for example, FBI estimates) were not with him but could be provided with the agency. Perkins agreed to supply the committee with additional case and workload information.
The governor’s recommendation included most of the requested items, but explicitly did not recommend line item 3: the two financial investigator 3 positions for the Consumer Finance Bureau that were described as IT‑focused investigator roles.
Why it matters: the Department of Finance manages examinations and investigations for chartered financial institutions, non‑depository consumer finance providers and securities activity in Idaho. Committee members pressed the department for clearer performance measures to permit later evaluation of return on investment if the positions are approved.
The department currently has 72 full‑time personnel, the analyst said. Historical budget information provided to the committee showed about 77.8% of the department’s FY2024 expenditures were for personnel costs, with operating costs at roughly 21% and capital outlay at 1.2%.
Perkins closed by reiterating the department’s support for the governor’s recommended budget and offered to provide the additional workload and case detail requested by legislators.
No formal motions or votes were taken on these requests at the Jan. 21 hearing; the presentation will be considered as part of the committee’s broader budget deliberations.
