Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Legislative staff outline FY2025–26 budget picture, warn of choices between tax relief and services
Summary
Legislative Services Office briefed the Joint Finance Committee on the governor's FY2025 and FY2026 revenue forecasts, structural balance and projected general fund expenditures, highlighting a roughly $700 million projected structural surplus and the tradeoffs lawmakers will face between tax relief and ongoing program funding.
Keith Bybee, division manager of Budget Policy Analysis for the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance Committee that the governor's recommendations put Idaho in a strong near‑term cash position but present policy choices for the Legislature.
"The good news about all of this is the legislature has really managed its finances to put yourself in a position to make changes that are reflective of the policy," Bybee said, summarizing why the state has a multiyear structural surplus under the current forecast.
Bybee walked members through historical revenue growth, noting an unusual spike during the COVID years when general fund revenues rose from roughly $4 billion to more than $6.2 billion over two years. He…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
