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Idaho Independent Living Council briefs JFAC on steady spending, asks committee to weigh fund shift
Summary
The Idaho State Independent Living Council told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15 that it consistently spends nearly all federal dedicated‑fund revenue and maintains a roughly $280,000 reserve; the governor recommends shifting $11,700 of appropriation from the council’s dedicated fund to the general fund to cover state benefit and CEC increases.
The Idaho State Independent Living Council told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 15 that the council’s small staff and federal funding pattern leave it spending near the level of available dedicated fund revenue and that the governor recommends shifting a modest appropriation from SILC’s dedicated fund to the general fund.
Kellen McGurkin, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee SILC has four full‑time positions — including Executive Director Mel Levitan — and typically spends close to its available dedicated fund receipts. “SILC consistently spends nearly all of its available revenue, but typically maintains an ending balance close to that $280,000 mark,” McGurkin said, referring to about six and a half months of operating expenses in reserve.
The nut of the governor’s recommendation is a one‑time appropriation reclassification. McGurkin said the governor proposes shifting $11,700 of appropriation from SILC’s dedicated fund to the general fund so the general fund would cover a share of this year’s statewide health benefit and change‑in‑employee‑compensation (CEC) increases that otherwise would fall on the dedicated fund.
McGurkin gave additional budget details to the committee: about 69–70% of SILC expenditures are personnel costs; operating costs are roughly 30% of the budget and include travel and rent; and the agency’s dedicated fund is fed by federal independent living grants (Title I of the Rehabilitation Act and Title VII/Workforce programs) passed through the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. He noted year‑to‑year timing differences between federal grant periods and the state fiscal year can make revenue and expenditures appear mismatched in a single fiscal year.
Levitan, the council’s executive director, thanked the committee for past support and said a $10,000 line item approved last year helped the council complete multiple audits with no findings. “We make the most that we can with a very small budget. We travel all over the state, and we get to meet folks,” Levitan said.
Committee members did not take formal action during the presentation. The matter of whether to approve the recommended appropriation shift will be considered later in JFAC’s budget decisions.
The presentation materials called out that SILC’s dedicated fund receipts rose modestly in FY2023 after a long period with flat federal funding and that occasional apparent “overspends” in a single year reflect federal grant timing rather than permanent deficits.
If JFAC adopts the governor’s recommendation to shift $11,700 from SILC’s dedicated fund to the general fund, that change would reduce the council’s dedicated fund appropriation and increase its general fund appropriation to cover portions of statewide benefit and CEC adjustments.
