Fish and Game requests $18.2 million in mostly one‑time enhancements; Valley Fire rehab, website overhaul and remote connectivity discussed

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Oct. 24, 2025, that it plans to seek $18,184,900 in enhancements for fiscal 2026 — a package the department said is largely one‑time and aimed at capital projects, facility replacement and targeted operating needs.

Janet Jessup, the committee’s budget analyst, said the agency is allocated roughly 550 full‑time positions and operates 19 state‑run hatcheries. She emphasized that the department receives no general fund and instead relies on dedicated license and fee revenues plus federal grants; she cited Idaho Code section 36‑103 as the statutory basis for the agency’s mission and rulemaking structure.

Why it matters: Fish and Game oversees fisheries, wildlife enforcement and hatcheries that drive operating and utility costs statewide. The enhancement package and supplemental requests address infrastructure, a wildfire rehabilitation response and technology investments needed to manage data and public services.

Key points from the hearing

- Enhancement totals and nature: Jessup said the agency requested $18,184,900 for 2026 and that roughly 88% of the request is one‑time. Examples of ongoing items in the request include ArcGIS software licenses, support for a 25‑year capital lease for a McCall subregional office and federal grant alignment funding.

- Valley Fire rehabilitation: Director Jim Fredericks told the committee an initial rehabilitation effort for the Valley Fire — which burned about 9,900 acres east of Boise and affected the Boise River Wildlife Management Area — will cost “about 3 quarters of a million dollars” in the immediate term and require ongoing work. Fredericks said the department purchased seed and applied aerial herbicide to prevent invasive weeds and restore winter range for deer and elk. The agency said it is in discussions with the utility company that owns land impacted by the fire about a possible voluntary contribution toward restoration.

- License fund balances and federal grant billing: Committee members asked why reported license/cash balances dipped in FY2024. John Oswald, administration bureau chief, said the FY2024 dip was partly caused by a delay in federal grant billing that the department has since remedied: “The dip in FY '24 was in part due to ... we were getting our arms around federal grant billing. I and‑ we fell behind several months and we have caught up in fiscal year 25 hence it returning to a more normal level,” Oswald said. He added that FY2026 reductions reflect deliberate one‑time uses of existing cash for planned capital projects such as remodels and website work.

- Website overhaul: Senator Cook asked about phase 1 of the agency’s website redesign. Fredericks said the department has spent a small portion of the initial $750,000 on discovery and is preparing to go to bid; based on peer projects the department now expects a total redesign cost near $1.3 million. “Our expectation is that we would be able to jump on that straight away,” Fredericks said when asked about spending timing.

- Remote connectivity: The agency requested $65,000 to install remote connectivity at eight locations. Representative Mitchell questioned the per‑site cost; John Oswald said the department worked with ITS to spec hardware and in some cases is using point‑to‑point links across large distances rather than consumer satellite services, which increases per‑site costs.

Where the governor landed and next steps

Jessup said the governor’s recommendation did not deviate from the agency’s requests but did make adjustments for benefits and compensation. The department noted a fiscal‑year 2025 supplemental related to the Valley Fire and said many of the enhancement requests are intended to align appropriations with available federal funds or to use existing cash reserves for one‑time projects.

The department offered to provide more detailed accounting on its website phase 1 expenditures and the committee asked the agency to continue discussing cost‑sharing with utilities for fire rehabilitation.