Fish and Game outlines website overhaul, fire rehabilitation and staffing needs; seeks one‑time and ongoing funding

Director Jim Fredericks and agency staff briefed the committee on the Department of Fish and Game’s FY2026 requests, emphasizing that the department receives no state general fund support and depends on licenses, tags, federal grants and set‑aside revenues that are often statutorily restricted.

The presentation matters because these revenue restrictions shape what the agency can spend and when; a recent pattern of large federal or one‑time appropriations for projects has produced multiyear work that shows as unexpended appropriations in any single fiscal year.

Janet Jessup noted the agency is allocated about 550 FTP and operates 19 state hatcheries. She said personnel and operating costs make up a large share of typical expenditures; Jessup reported roughly 46% of FY2024 expenditures were for personnel and that the department has averaged a high fill rate for FTP over five years. She described the Fish and Game Fund and related set‑aside accounts, which collect license and permit revenue and dedicate portions to specific uses by statute.

Key FY2026 and related items discussed: - Website overhaul, phase 2: The agency has spent a small portion of an earlier $750,000 phase 1 appropriation for discovery and assessment and now requests additional funds to complete a redesign. Fredericks said the expected total cost will be about $1.3 million, informed by comparable state work. - Valley Fire rehabilitation: The agency described post‑fire work east of Boise on the Boise River Wildlife Management Area. Fredericks said immediate costs are expected to be about $750,000, with additional, continuing restoration work anticipated. The department purchased seed and applied aerial herbicide in the fall to stabilize winter range; the agency is in talks with the utility company for voluntary support but no commitment was reported. - Remote connectivity: A request of $65,000 to improve remote connectivity at several hatcheries and facilities was presented; Administration Bureau Chief John Oswald said the solution was specified with ITS and can include point‑to‑point connections that raise per‑site cost compared with consumer solutions. - Federal grant alignment and one‑time requests: The agency asked for $18.18 million in enhancements for FY2026, about 88% of which are one‑time items (equipment replacement, building projects, hatchery and fisheries work). Fredericks said some requests align appropriation to available federal funds and others support leases and seasonal positions tied to mitigation work.

Committee members probed the department’s consolidated fund balances after Jessup’s slides showed a dip in license‑related balances in FY2024. Chief Oswald explained that the dip reflected temporary federal grant billing delays in FY2024 and that the department caught up in FY2025; the FY2026 balance estimate reflects deliberate use of reserves for planned one‑time projects such as office remodels and website work.

Senator Cook asked about phase 1 spending on the website; Fredericks said much of the original $750,000 was used for discovery and procurement preparation, and that more will be spent in FY2026 once procurement is complete. Representative Manwaring and others questioned the total cost and whether the utility would contribute to the Valley Fire rehabilitation; Fredericks said conversations with the utility are ongoing but no final support was confirmed.

Fredericks closed by thanking the committee for past support and by saying he believes the budget supports management of healthy fish and wildlife populations.