Idaho Agriculture plans continued quagga mussel response, proposes investigator pay ladder and vehicle replacements

The Department of Agriculture told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Friday that it expects to continue elevated spending on quagga mussel prevention and response while seeking funding to improve investigator retention and replace aging field vehicles.

Analyst Frances Lippitt told the committee the department received a $5,000,000 cash transfer from the general fund into the invasive species fund last legislative session and an ongoing $1,500,000 general-fund appropriation for staffing and expanded watercraft inspection stations. Lippitt said the invasive species fund balance projects a decline in part because of the large one-time response spending rather than a decrease in watercraft sticker fee revenue.

Why it matters: The department’s quagga mussel work drives sizable swings in its dedicated fund balances and was the principal reason for a substantial up-tick in the agency’s FY2025 appropriation. Committee members pressed department staff on what the continuing cost profile will be, how funding was allocated between one-time and ongoing needs, and how personnel and capital needs would be prioritized.

Key details: Lippitt summarized the department’s budget and personnel trends, saying the department is organized into eight programs and had maintained about a 91% staffing rate. She described several funds: the invasive species fund (primarily supported by a watercraft sticker fee collected by Parks and Recreation), the pest control fund (which had a $1,700,000 balance related to Mormon cricket work), and numerous other dedicated funds that support inspections, dairy and animal health, and marketing.

Director Chanel Tewalt said the department doubled statewide water sampling and substantially increased watercraft inspections after the 2023 detection event on the Snake River. She told the committee the department added three more inspection stations and nearly doubled watercraft inspections year over year, and that in 2024 the agency performed a treatment on the Snake River.

Retention and pay proposal: The department requested $518,300 in ongoing enhancements for FY2026, including $340,400 to create a pay structure for the department’s 53 agricultural investigator positions. Lippitt told lawmakers 23 of those positions had been with the agency less than two years and only nine had 10 or more years of experience; Tewalt later said 27 of 53 investigators had less than two years’ tenure. The intent is a career ladder to improve retention and professional development.

Equipment and vehicles: The department requested $1,110,000 one-time, including $891,000 in replacement items such as vehicles, and $214,700 for IT hardware (primarily laptops). When asked by Representative Mitchell, Lippitt and Tewalt said the vehicle replacement list totals about 17 vehicles—mostly pickup trucks and a few SUVs—and staff committed to provide a detailed list on request.

Other budget items: Lippitt also noted a new degradation of livestock prevention fund created by House Bill 592 that receives $225,000 from the general fund to compensate livestock owners for losses caused by wolves and grizzly bears. She described earlier-year increases driven by federal resilient food systems grant funding and invasive species response costs.

Questions from committee members focused on whether quagga mussel response was paid from fees or the general fund (Lippitt: both; FY2025 includes the $1.5M ongoing GF appropriation), and how cash transfers appear in the budget (Lippitt explained a cash transfer requires appropriation entries in both the receiving dedicated fund and the general fund, creating gross appropriation lines that net out).

The department concluded by highlighting that investigator pay and retention were central to delivering timely on-the-ground responses and that the FY2026 requests were intended to sustain services without the same level of one-time infusions seen in prior years.

Looking ahead: Lippitt and Tewalt said they would provide the committee with a list of vehicle replacements and follow up on a revenue/transfer line that Representative Tanner flagged for follow-up.